When Past Becomes Present: The Dark Lord's Return
by Devlin Dracul
Summary: Is it so wrong to want to learn about an unknown part of history? To discover a secret that no one else knows about? It's not about bringing back some unholy force of darkness. It's about learning about our past. To either improve ourselves, or prevent it from ever happening again. This story will have many references from many different games and anime. Rating may change.
1. Chapter 1

It has been a full century since the death of the Dark Lord. One hundred years since defeat of the most powerful dark being to have walked on this world. With the defeat of their leader, the denizens of the dark fled towards the Southern Plains. In this domain are they free from the light of the world. Here, in this paradise for the darkness do the orcs, goblins, imps, and demons of shadow find refuge from the light. Legend states that even the Six Dark Generals, the Dark Lord's greatest warriors, reside in these lands.

With the warriors of the dark gone, and age of prosperity was brought to the beings of light. This was brought about by five grand warriors, who challenged and defeated the Dark Lord's army. The hero, Candor, whose skill with the blade was influential in dealing the killing blow to the Dark Lord. The sorceress, Fatin, whose knowledge of sorcery was said to rival that of the Dark Lord himself. The brawler, Basir Rarsk, whose strength and martial arts skill was said to have allowed him to challenge the most powerful of the Six Generals and emerge victorious. The dwarf, Kitoth Coinmaul, whose unmatched skill with the ax was only rivaled by his genius blacksmith crafts. It has been said that he crafted the weapons and armor of all the warriors, except for the sword of the hero; for it has been said that the blade that he carried was crafted and given to him by the messengers of God Himself. The elf, Cellica Ianzana, whose skill with the bow was only matched by her angelic beauty. These champions of the light were the brave souls who brought about peace for the light that has lasted for one hundred years.

There stories would never go untold, for the future generation was always taught about their history. From the hero's humble beginnings as a mere farm hand, to his recruitment of his allies, to their still mysterious final battle with the Dark Lord. To this day, details of that battle are a mystery, for the hero died in that fight and his allies disappeared.

To honor their memory, the next generation would be taught their history and skills. From five to nine, the children were taught the history of the warriors. On their tenth birthday, they could begin their training in the skills of the warriors. The hero's swordsmanship, the sorceress's magical knowledge, the brawler's martial arts, the dwarf's blacksmith skills, and the elf's archery. If they so choose, the students can learn multiple skills, for they can all be used in everyday life. For example, magic can be used for tasks such as cooking or building. The martial arts, swordsmanship, and archery could be used for police force. Even the skills of the blacksmith could be used to tailor a variety of different clothing.

The students who were the top of their respective classes would be chosen to be the elite protectors of the world, The Six Paladins. The lowest ranking Paladin would be the Stone Paladin. They would have great skill in any number of the skills, but still be inferior to the other Paladins. The Steel Paladin has the most skill in Blacksmith. Their knowledge in crafting swords and armor would be the best in their class. A force to be reckoned with, their knowledge could allow them to fond the weakness of nearly any weapon or armor and destroy it. The Copper Paladin would be the greatest archer. Their eyes would be able to see attacks coming miles away, and would have the skill to hit a field mouse at an even farther distance. The Bronze Paladin would be the greatest martial artist. It has been stated that the who shows the most promise of become the Bronze Paladin must defeat everyone in their respective year at once, for the Bronze Paladin should be able to fight off dozens of enemies at once. The Silver Paladin is a tad bit more special. They must have either have mastery over the sword with knowledge of magic, or vice versa. This is done, because magic for most people is not infinite. It is a combination of both energy from the body and energy from nature. Energy from nature may be infinite, but the human body can only take on so much stress. Most mages and sorcerers use their magic sparingly, for over use of magic can have a variety of negative affects, including death. There have only been two skilled mages who could channel unlimited magic, Fatin, the legendary sorceress who aided in bringing about the prosperity for the light; and the Dark Lord himself. The final rank of the Six Paladins is the most powerful of them all, the Golden Paladin. To obtain this glorious rank, one must master all of the skills; a task that could take decades to accomplish. These six warriors have been the greatest champions of peace six the Five Legendary Warriors.

All of this knowledge has been made available for all who wish to know, but there is one piece of knowledge that has never been taught. In fact, it has been kept a well hidden secret for many decades. The history of the Dark Lord. Absolutely nothing is known about him. Who he was. Why he chose to become the Dark Lord. His origin. His ambition. The tactics he used to obtain his allies and victories. His skills and abilities. Not even his death has been recorded. There isn't a single bit of history pertaining to the Dark Lord or his Six Dark Generals, and that annoys me.

I have learned everything I need about the heroes. I know everything about each of their respective backgrounds and abilities. I know how to become a Paladin. I know everything I need to know about the light. There is absolutely nothing left for me to learn. True, I could always try to find the hero's legendary sword, the Deum Fidem, which went missing after the hero died; but I'm far more interested in discovering a hidden part of history. It sounds far more exciting than looking for a single blade, no matter how legendary the sword may be.

Hm? Oh, yes! How rude of me. I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Adelram. Adelram Umbra. I'm guessing you're curious as to how I appear. If I had to describe my physique, I suppose I should start with my dark hair, dark skin, and brown eyes. According to what has been discovered, tens of thousands of years ago, there was a group of people who had something called a Hispanic bloodline. This Hispanic blood was what gave them their dark complexion. I guess their blood survived long enough to reach my time, for I soon discovered that I was a direct descendant of the Hispanic bloodline. In terms of height, I suppose I'm about 5'6. Due to the immense training I've undergone, I have an athletic build. In terms of looks, I suppose have an average face, but most people say otherwise. I can't understand why.

With that introduction out of the way, I'd like to welcome you to my story. Before I begin, I should tell you a few more things. As I mentioned before, every student has the right to choose any of the skills they wished to learn at the age of ten. I chose all five of them. I was nineteen when I mastered all of the skills. I was one of the top two students in my class. The other one was my childhood friend, Angelica Lux. She's quite the impressive young woman. A tall, athletic physique; long, golden-blonde hair; deep, sky-blue eyes; porcelain, snow white skin; and an angelic voice. She's been called the most beautiful woman many times, but she's also one of the most powerful and brilliant. She's possible the only person so far to have ever gone toe-to-toe with me. She's humble to boot. She doesn't brag about her looks or skills at all. She's been known to help others if she can. One of those types who you can't hate, no matter how much you try. In essence, she's my polar opposite. True, I don't brag about my looks or skill, but I'm not a kind person. I've been known to be quite cruel and sarcastic. Cynical, even. Makes me wonder why a girl like that became friends with a guy like me.

At the end of our year, I was the one chosen to be the valedictorian. This was because I was considered the best. Angelica came close to beating me on numerous occasions, but I'd always stand victorious at the end. Even so, I rejected the role. It didn't feel right, representing something I have lost total interest in. Angelica gave me quite the lecture, but no one else seemed to care. The faculty seemed disappointed, but the student body cheered.

After graduation, there were already predictions about my and Angelica's future. People were already set on me becoming the next Golden Paladin, and Angelica becoming the next Silver Paladin. Others went to far as to predict that I would become the greatest Golden Paladin in history. Oh, the faces they will make when they find out the truth. I have no interest in becoming a Paladin. If anything, I'll be more of a wondering archaeologist. My plan is set off towards the most dangerous place on Earth. I will go to the Southern Plains. I will unlock the hidden history of the Dark Lord. I will discovery who he was, and what he stood for. Every secret that the Southern Plain holds, including it's own, will be mine to find. That is my goal. That is my destiny.

That is were my story will truly begin.

 **A/N: And that's were** **this first chapter ends. Well, this is the beginning of my first fan fic. I may continue it for fun, but I'm curious about what other people might think. This story was influenced my the Castlevania games and the Overlord games. In fact, there will be plenty of references to these and other games. If you can notice them, the more power to ya. Reviews are appreciated. If in the future, you believe you could type this story in a more interesting way, then be my guest. Just be sure to tell me the title so I can read your story myself. Flames will NOT be ignored. In fact, I encourage them. I'm even planning a bit of a contest. If your flame is impressive, I'll put it in the author's note and name you either the Flame King/Queen or the Troll King/Queen. I mean a REAL flame. Not something lame like, "this story is stupid", "this story sucks", "kill yourself", or "stop this train wreck". Those are lame, boring, and lazy. Show me what ya got, all ya aspiring trolls and flamers!**


	2. Chapter 2

Only twenty-one years of age, and I'm preparing to go on arguably the most dangerous quest in recorded history.

I have everything I need to start my journey. Since no map of the Southern Plains exist, I've bought graph paper to record my surroundings. I've also bought a journal, so I can record my daily travels and findings. The school standard canteen should be able to carry at least a week's worth of water. I know a purifying spell should the need ever arise. I also know a spell that will remove any useful minerals out of any source of water I find, such as salt. Though I do know how to cook, I still packed a week's supply of dried meats, fruits, and vegetables with various edible seeds; along with a book with information about wild herbs. Another spell that was taught to use in school helps us to detect poison. A useful skill, considering that it can be quite difficult to differentiate an edible herb from it's poisonous counterpart. My favorite combat knife will help me with hunting and cooking as well. The Blacksmith skills will also be useful. Who knows what kind of tools and weapons I could craft in the Southern Plains? I could even build a nice, albeit temporary, cottage where ever I take refuge for the night. Considering that the Southern Plains is home to some of the most dangerous creatures in the world, my sorcery and blacksmith skills will be needed if I want a safe rest. It's approximately a three day walk towards the border of the Southern Plains, so I have practically every reason to believe I'm prepared for the journey ahead.

Just as I was about to walk out of my old house, I heard a knock on the door. "Ram, do I have your permission to enter?" There's only one person who has ever called me that nickname. "You have my permission to enter, Angelica." She always was a polite young woman. Despite us being childhood friends since the age of five, she has never once just barged in. She would always knock and ask for permission.

As soon as she opened the door, she saw me use the Transport spell on my supplies. It's an extremely useful spell. Instead of lugging around a backpack or some other form of carry on, the spell transports the target to a storage dimension for future use. It's a fairly common and popular spell. Nearly everyone in the Northern Plains learned it.

Though, I usually use it to store common place things, such as cleaning supplies and weapons, Angelica was still able to catch a glimpse of my traveling supplies. She knew I wasn't the type for going on trips, so she was justifiably confused.

"Ram, forgive my asking, but are you going somewhere?" Saw that question coming. "Indeed, I am. Is there a problem with that?" Angelica seemed to be contemplating on what to say next. I guess she didn't want to sound rude or something. "No. No, there isn't. It's just so rare for you to want to travel. . . . Would it be possible for me to accompany you on your trip?"

That was something I was hoping she wouldn't ask. She is powerful and more than capable of surviving the harshness of the Southern Plains, possibly more than I am, but I still couldn't even imagine asking her. This was my journey, no one else. It didn't even take a second for me to answer her.

"No."

"Oh." She looked depressed. I suppose I sounded a bit too harsh. "I understand. Can I at least know where you're going?"

I see no problem in doing that.

"The Southern Plains."

…

…

…

Maybe there was a problem in doing that.

"You're going WHERE?!"

That was a seriously loud yell. It was almost as loud as that sonic spell we were taught as a form of echo location. Great for exploring low lit areas with no light source. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone in the village, or even the entire Northern Plains, heard her yell.

"I'm going to the Southern Plains. Plain and simple." At least it was to me. "Why would you want to go there?! No one in the three Plains of God have set foot in that forsaken place since the Legendary Five Warriors! Not the elves of the East or the dwarfs of the West have ever been there, let alone us humans of the North! Of all the places to see, the beauty of the East, the marvels of the West, the peace of the North; why would you want to go to the darkness of the South?!"

"Because I want to."

She looked astonished at the answer I gave her. She made several valid points, but all she did was whet my curiosity. No one since the Legendary Five has ever seen the Southern Plains. I'd be the first human in a hundred years to have ever set foot in the South. I'd pretty much be a single man exploring an alien world filled with countless creatures that would try to kill me. The very thought got my adrenaline pumping. I'd finally have a valid excuse to use all of the skills I have been taught in the fourteen years I have been a student, and the two years I spent planning this trip would certainly not be nullified. With the answer I gave her, I walked out of my house. It'd probably be the last time I'd ever see that building, as well as the village I was born and raised in. It'd probably also be the last time I'd ever see Angelica, but that thought didn't even slow me down.

"Ram!"

Hearing her call me by her nickname sure didn't slow me down either.

"RAM!"

Keep on walking.

"ADELRAM!"

Now that caused me to stop. She hasn't called me by name given name in years. It was so surreal, that it actually stopped me in my tracks.

"I'm not about to let you enter that hell."

The initial shock from hearing my name left me, but I couldn't help but chuckle at what she said. "And how exactly do you plan on stopping me?" She answered my question immediately. In what can only be called a millisecond, she tried to bash in my left temple with her right shin. With my right hand, I caught her attack while it was merely an inch away from it's intended target. The capture of her attack caused a shock-wave. If her yell from before didn't catch everyone's attention, that most certainly did. Had I been anyone else, that kick of hers would have smashed every bone in my hand, and knocked me unconscious as soon as it reached its goal. When I loosened my grip on her leg, she jumped away and took a praying position. The same position one takes when they are about to request a duel.

"I plan on defeating you in a duel. You've always had an strong moral code, so you'd most certainly listen to my 'desire'."

Desires. This term is used as the prize for which the challenger and the challenged have all rights to receive should they emerge victorious in the duel. It is an iron clad rule that the "desire" must be accomplished, no matter what. Should the victor desire his opponent's riches, kin, or even their death; the defeated must oblige to that desire. Some say that not even God Himself can nullify this request.

"We've had this dance before, Angelica. Of all the countless duels and contests we have had, you have never once bested me in any of them. You have come close in several occasions, but I have always stood victorious."

"This is different! Those times were always mandated by the school. I never once had an absolute reason to defeat you, BUT NOW I FINALLY DO!" She looked so full of energy and conviction. She even had to take a breath to call herself down. "Adelram, you've been labeled as the Strongest Man in all of the Northern Plains; but you need to remember something very important: I've been labeled the Strongest Woman! I might very well be the only person in all of the Northern Plains who can defeat you at your fullest!"

I couldn't help but smile out of pride. She was right. We both hold the title of the Strongest, so we're the only ones who can challenge one another. I stared straight into her blue eyes. They were so strong, so determined, so... beautiful. I couldn't help but think to myself: If I didn't have this curiosity, this need, this lust for discovering the Dark Lord's past; I would have easily fallen in love with this woman. This beautiful woman, who is my junior by a mere week, could have brought me pure happiness; had I not had this burning curiosity.

"Adelram, this is my desire: Should I emerge victorious, I wish for you to abandon your quest, and for you to- for you to-" She looked away, slightly blushing. "For you to spend the rest of your days by my side."

So, she has feelings as well... How unfortunate... For now. "Then this is my desire: Should I emerge victorious, I will continue my quest. However, I give you full permission to chase after once you regain consciousness." She looked at me with eyes full of surprise and confusion. "I have a feeling that I will only grow more powerful than I currently am during my journey. You'd be the perfect opponent to test those new abilities."

I swear that her blush grew at that last comment. "V-very well. I accept your desire."

"As I yours." Desires can be rejected before the start of a duel. This act is rarely practiced, but it's still a valid option. After I said those three words, I conjured the required barrier. This barrier not only protects any onlookers, but the duelists as well. Though a desire can be used to end a life, it is absolutely forbidden to shed your opponent's blood during a duel. The barrier turns all blows into psychological shocks. For example, strikes from martial arts, swords, or arrows will not physically harm the body. It will send an appropriate shock to the mind instead. A fatal wound, such as slashing your opponent's throat, will cause a massive shock to the mind that would more than likely render the recipient unconscious. Once I conjured the barrier, I also took my position. When we were both in position, we were prepared to speak the phrase that starts all duels. It was said that the hero spoke these words when he challenged the Dark Lord. In respect to this, all duels would be started with this phrase:

"HAVE AT YOU!"

With that said, our fists clashed.

That's how the first part of the duel began, with martial arts. Punches, kicks, palm-strikes, elbow-strikes, and every other skill we were taught was used in the hand-to-hand contest. Angelica was strong, but she was even faster than that. She landed more hits on me than I could even count. To us, we could see each other's strikes perfectly, but I can imagine that we looked like blurs to the spectators. Though she was faster, my strength won out. With a well placed palm strike to the chest, I sent her flying towards the wall of the barrier. I actually heard her grunt from the impact. Score one for me.

Angelica wasn't about to give up. She used the distance to summon a weapon. One of the ancient weapons from a time long since past: a katana. The weapon was first discovered by an elven archaeologist after he found the remains of an ancient civilization buried beneath the Eastern Plains. During a trip, we were shown the ancient city. There were incredibly tall structures, strange looking idols, odd symbols, and images of multicolored haired men and women wearing strange garments that didn't look very practical for any use outside of service. The most interesting aspect to me and Angelica were the weapons. A guide was found that named the weapons. They were called Kunai Knives, Shurikens, and Katanas. These weapons were perfect for assassinations and fast-paced combat. Appropriate, since the guide stated that these weapons were crafted by master assassins called Ninjas. Angelica took a particular fancy to the katana. It has been her standard sword ever since.

However, I still preferred using a double-edged broadsword. The blade was about as long as my leg. In the hands of anyone else, it would have been a slow but strong sword. In my hands, it has both speed and strength. This particular sword has the power to cut through trees, boulders, and steel as if they were made of butter. I know. I was the one who crafted and tested the blade.

Angelica began the second portion of the duel. With blinding speed, she tried to slash at me multiple times. I was able to block all of them thanks to the width of my sword. Our blades clashed multiple times, causing sparks to fly everywhere with every strike. We seemed evenly matched, until Angelica found an advantage. She personally crafted her katana, and it was dubbed one of the sharpest swords in the Three Plains. Even a master blacksmith dwarf bowed to it's splendor. That was her advantage. She used her sword to cut directly down the middle of my blade, until it finally reached me and slashed my abdomen. If it weren't for the barrier, she would have cut my abdomen completely open. Instead, she sent me flying. Score one for her.

I wasn't about to surrender either. I summoned a bow and a quiver that was enchanted to hold an endless amount of arrows. Angelica followed suit. That was the third contest. We fired an endless barrage of arrows at one another. Our arms we probably impossible to follow with the naked eye. However, as I stated before, Angelica was faster than me. Though most of our arrows collided with each other, three of her arrows broke through. The first arrow destroyed my bow, the second struck my left arm, and the finally one struck me in the head; which sent me flying towards the wall of the barrier. The score was now 1 to 2.

I am not about to let my ambition die here. It's time for some sorcery. I started that match by throwing a wall of fire at her. She countered by creating a wall of stone. That's how the fourth contest continued. One would use an offensive spell, while the other countered it. The spells created all kinds of explosions and glorious reactions. The spectators must have felt like they were watching the greatest magic show in existence. I could practically hear their awe. I surprised everyone, including Angelica, when I purposely cut my left hand with a sharpened stone. Then, I started to manipulate my blood into a whip, and struck Angelica. She fell to the ground. Spilling your opponents blood may be forbidden, but one can still harm themselves. It's one of the few loopholes of the barrier. Blood manipulation is one of the hardest skills to master in the world of sorcery. Most people find it macabre, so some don't even try to learn it. Personally, it's one of my favorites. When you somehow don't have any weapons on you, it's rather useful to turn your blood into either a sword or a whip or any weapon that you might need. The score was 2 to 2.

Angelica got up, eyes filled with more determination than ever. We both knew that this would be the final contest, so we wasted no time. We used all of our skills. Our martial arts, our swordplay, our archery, our sorcery, and every other skill and trick we have ever learned was used. I've never felt more alive than when I fought her at her best. My adrenaline was at it's maximum. I finally had a reason to use all of these skills. This duel, whether I win or lose, was worth it. However, I would not accept anything other than victory. I will win this duel, and fulfill my desire. During one of our close-quarter fights, we kicked each other away. It gave us a good distance. I felt that this was the perfect time to end this. My left arm was my dominant arm, but it has sustained too much damage. So I would use my right one. It always did feel like the one with the most physical strength anyway. I started to channel all of my power into my hand. Angelica must have understood my intentions, for she started to do the same thing with her right hand. Her arm started to shine as brightly as the fully risen sun, while mine started to glow as clearly as the full moon. The light of the sun vs. the light of the moon. What an interesting way to end this duel. When we were both fully charged, we ran towards each other. When our fists clashed, we were engulfed by the light. All I could see was her. I could see the determination in her eyes, the absolute need to win. I could even almost hear her silent prayer to God, asking Him to grant her the strength to win this duel. Sadly, it was not meant to be. My fist was able to pass by hers, and I struck her right in her heart. The light vanished, and I got one last look at her eyes. She was crying. She knew... that it was her loss. The victory was mine.

When she fell into unconsciousness, the barrier dissipated. Cheering was heard. I looked around and saw people cheering at my victory. I even saw some people handing money to the person next to them. They actually placed bets. The cheering ended when the village chief walked up to me. "As expected of the future Golden Paladin. Congratulations on your victory, Master Adelram. When can we expect your duel with Master Trevor?"

Trevor was the current Golden Paladin. Before me, he was considered the strongest man in all of the Three Plains. His favorite form of combat was crafting a whip out of pure light. It is rumored that he has never once lost a contest in his life.

I couldn't help but sigh at the comment. I picked up Angelica's unconscious body, and placed her in the arms of the village chief. "Never." That shocked the chief. "But why? It is necessary for you to defeat Master Trevor to become the Golden Paladin." Gaining a Paladin rank sounds fairly simple. You just need to defeat the current Paladin. "That isn't my goal." I walked away when I said that. "Then what is your goal Master Adelram!?" I never stopped walking. "Ask Angelica when she wakes up. It'll be more interesting to hear it from her!" After all, all she knows is that I'm going to the Southern Plains, but she'll probably make it sound like much bigger deal than she knows; and it technically is.

That was probably my last duel for the standards of the Three Plains. That was my first milestone. Now, my journey can truly begin.

 **A/N: Whoa, that was fun. I really enjoyed writing those fights. There's also something else I enjoy. I'm a big fan of alternate endings. This is what would have happened if Angelica won. It'll be in her point of view.**

Light was completely surrounding us. All I could do was stare into Ram's deep, dark brown eyes. He wanted to win so bad, but I won't let him go to that den of monsters. I prayed to God to give me strength, strength to surpass Ram's ambition. He answered my prayer. My fist broke through Ram's and struck his solar plexus, and the light dissipated. I looked at Ram's face. He was smiling. It was like he was congratulating me. When I removed my fist, Ram fell to the ground. The barrier also dispersed. I won. I actually beat Ram.

The sound of cheering took me out of my surprised stupor. Many people were giving money to their neighbor. Were they gambling on our duel? Everything stopped when the village chief arrived. "That was quite impressive, Master Angelica. A congratulation is in order, for your victory over Master Adelram."

Hearing the village chief say I won made it feel all the more real. Before I knew it, I was hugging the chief out of pure joy. I think I caught the chief off guard, but the hug was still returned. "So, Master Angelica, what do you plan on doing now?" That question was easy to answer. "I plan on having Ram fulfill my desire."

When he woke up, he did just that. He promised me on his honor that he'd never try to venture into the Southern Plains ever again. He always took his word seriously, so I knew he was speaking the truth. He fulfilled everyone's expectations about him being the next Golden Paladin. His duel with Master Trevor was quite the spectacle, but he stood tall in the end.

He even went above and beyond to fulfill the other part of my desire, to stay by my side. During a full moon, at one of the most beautiful lakes in the Northern Plains, he proposed to me.

I can't even count the numbers of times that man has made me happy. I don't know how his story would have ended, but my story ended in the happiest way possible... for both of us.

 **A/N: . . . . . . Meh. I like my original ending better. I guess I'm more of a man of action than a man of romance. Good thing this is Adelram's story. Still, I'm kinda curious about how you guys feel about this alternate ending, or if you might have a better one. In fact, that's a damn good challenge. How do you think Angelica's victory would have turned out? Also, I should have asked this question in the first chapter, but you can still answer it if you want: Which of the Six Paladins do you think you are most like, or most want to be? A challenge and a question. Not bad at all. Let's see how they turn out. Hell, maybe I'll put the most interesting alternate ending in the next chapter in the A/N, along with the name of the genius who wrote it.**


	3. Alternate Endings: Angelica's Victory

**A/N: Well, here one is. An alternate ending to Angelica's victory. The best part was that not only was it made by a genius, but a close friend of mine. This guy's fics are awesome. You should check them out. Here's .true's take on Angelica's victory (oh, and it's in Adelram's POV):**

The very moment our fists collided, a bright light erupted. A shockwave pulsed through the air, the sheer force of our magic shaking the barrier to a point close to annihilation. Unbeknownst to this the citizen continued cheering.  
I knew I must not get distracted by these people and focused my entire mind on my right fist. It was a stalemate, in which the tiniest shift of concentration could determine the winner.

The intensity of magic power started to heat up the surrounding air; I was already exhausted from the previous fight and had put most of my remaining power in this single punch to end it all, just like a true hero - not that I wanted to be one - but the heat drained me of my energy.

I gave my best. I clenched my teeth and let out a feral growl, but felt how Angelica pushed my fist slowly back, inch by inch.

I could see the exhaustion on her face, she was as burned out as me, but she managed to push me back. Maybe it was her iron will and the fierce look in her eyes that determined the winner, but as her fist was just one inch away from my face, she let out an archaic battlecry. and with the little strength she had left she finally hit my in the face, sending me flying. As I crashed into the barrier and slowly lost consciousness, I could see her pant. She fell to her knees, unable to stand anymore, but the triumphant look in her eyes was as impressing as amusing. I smiled as everything went black.

I woke up, my head lying on a rather soft pillow. Looking up, I saw Angelica's face; apparently it was her lap.

"You woke up?", she asked.  
"Yeah.", I mused. As I tried to move, I felt how every muscle in my body was stiff.  
"You should probably stay down.", she said with a small smile, showing her concern.  
"I'm alright.", I said, shrugging it off.  
"More importantly, I won. You have to fulfill my desire.", she smirked.  
Sighing I raised my hand to an oath. "I won't go anywhere near the Southern Planes, nor will I think of doing something stupid like that. Also, I will stay at your side for the rest of my life.", I pledged. "It's almost like I'm marrying you.", I added.  
"W-what, i-it's not!", she stuttered while blushing brightly.  
"Oh? What is that blush supposed to tell me? Are you in love with me?", I teased.  
"N-no!", she yelled embarrassed.  
"Ain't that great. That means I can go out with other women? You only said I have to stay by your side, not as your lover.", I smiled evily.  
"You can't do that!", she yelled.  
"Huh? Why's that?", I asked.  
"Because...because...I-I kinda...you know...", she mumbled. Knowing teasing her more wouldn't be any more fun, I stopped.  
"So what am I gonna do now? Since I can't follow my plans.", I asked.  
"First, let's get some sleep. And after that, I have a great idea.", she said with a sudden, confident smile...which somehow gave me the chills.

And then they lived happily ever after as the strongest couple, but that would take an even longer monologue.

 **A/N: Kicks the living hell out of my alternate ending, doesn't it? If I get more interesting alternate endings for Angelica's win, I'll post it on this chapter. Don't worry, I'll let people know if that happens in the A/N of the most recent chapter. Until then... Seriously, is anyone else curious about what Angelica has planned for Adelram? I know how his story will end, but Angelica's alternate story is still free game... Think I can convince .true to continue her story?  
**

* * *

 **A/N: And I got myself another alternate ending. This is by a friend and genius named Gmann. If you're looking for dark and edgy One Piece fics, he's the guy for you. His stories, A Twisted Strawhat and Darkest Days are awesomely dark. He's also one of the extremely rare shippers of Luffy x Robin, so bonus points for that. Here's his take on Angelica's victory.**

I'm finding it hard to draw in breath and even harder to focus. My vision is slightly doubled, but slowly everything becomes clear again. In front of me, I see Ram, my best friend. My completely idiotic best friend. How dare he try something so foolish like going to the Southern Plains? Was he insane?! Leaving me…I mean leaving everyone like this. Everyone who believed in him and knew that he was going to do great things. Just thinking about it made me want to hit him over the head. Punishment would have to wait however, because right now, the most important thing was winning this dual.

Taking a good look at Ram, I can see he's tired too. The guy can barely keep up that cocky, annoyingly cute attitude. Confusing thoughts aside, it is time to end this fight. Channeling the rest of my magic into the palm of my right hand, I ready my strike. I can see that Ram is doing the same, both of our right hands are glowing like we're holding bits of the sun. I lower my center of gravity and bend my knees, preparing to run forward at him. The light in the area has become nearly blinding, each one of us using 100% of power.

"You will be with me forever Ram, I'll make sure of it," I say through a forced grin. This isn't something I just want to do. This is something I _have_ to do. I'm sure he can see my determination, because now his mask of confidence has fallen completely into a cool stare of neutrality.

"Then let's end this Angelica. I have a long journey ahead of me and I'd rather not put it off any longer."

Okay, I guess there was still some lingering cockiness. With one last boost of power, I vault off the ground towards Ram and vice versa. His eyes are burning with intensity and I can only guess they mirror my own. We both jump high in the air, at least 50 feet, rear back our right arms, and slam our brightly glowing fist into each other.

Instantly the sky exploded in blinding arcs of light that seem to shatter the sky into pieces. Rocks and other things are lifting off the ground because of the whipping winds that are forming around us. The pressure pushing against me is close to suffocating, to the point where breathing has become a serious problem. Even worse, I can feel my fist being pushed back with every passing moment. God, why did Ram have to be so powerful?! Looking into his eyes is like torture right now. Their so full of passion that they appear to be on fire. Would be enchanting if this wasn't going to be the last time I saw them.

 _No!_

 _No I will not let it end here!_

" **AAHHHHHH!** " I barely even realize that it is me who is screaming. Digging deeper than I ever have before, all the way to the very core, I find even more strength and begin pushing back. The once white arcs of electric light slowly shift red. Ram's eyes widen in shock as he is pushed back further and further. The winds are now nearly tornado like in nature, ripping at the ground like a whip. Multiple spheres of condensed excess power begin to form and explode around us, our wills of pure titanium. Despite everything, a smirk slowly forms on my features. This actually seems to irritate Ram.

"W-what…Is s-so…fu-nny?"

My grin widens. "B-because I-I finally g-g-get to beat y-you and h-have you t-to m-myself," I manage to stutter out. My whole body is shaking in exhaustion as my last reserves of magic are drained dry. This stalemate has gone on longer than either of us expected. Even with my resolve to make Ram stay, it appears I can only stand as an equal.

"S-s-sorry t-to crush y-your d-dreams," sputters out Adelram. Damn, I'm losing ground again, but this time there is no extra magic to draw from. Inch by inch, Ram is pushing me back again. Damn! Damn! Wait, maybe I can still win this dual. Good thing I'm as good of an actor as I am fighter. I let my face dissolve into a nervous wreck. In the heat of battle, Ram must have forgotten that I would never make such a weak face. At least not in combat. All of a sudden, I shut off the flow of magic in my right hand and switch it to my left.

The feeling of Ram's magic empowered fist more or less crushing my right arm out the way is quickly overpowered by the feeling of that fist impacting with my chest, knocking all the wind and wits out of me. However, before I can be sent careening into the ground and submit to eminent unconsciousness, I counter his punch with an all-out magical punch of my own. My glowing left hand slams into Ram's cheek. If it wasn't for the barrier, I would most likely have a hole in my chest and his skull would be crushed.

I'm sent hurtling downward into the ground at break neck speeds, impacting with a large explosion of dirt and sand. Black spots are everywhere and I can't seem to make a complete thought. I must stay conscious if I want to win, so I'm trying my best not to pass out. Ram falling out of the sky catches my attention. He apparently doesn't possess the strength to land properly because Ram lands gracefully on his face. A little trickle of blood runs down the top of his head from where he cut himself on impact. Wait blood? That can only mean the barrier is gone…

Man, I'm tired. What the hell happened? Looking around, I see that I've been placed in my bed. Odd. Then everything comes back. Ram leaving, the dual… Who won that? I try getting up but find that I'm a little stiff in the joints. However that doesn't stop me from jumping out of bed and throwing on some shorts and a jacket. I must know what happened after the fight. Just as I swing my door open, I'm face to face with Ram, who looks like he was about to knock. Slowly he puts down his fist, keeping eye contact the whole time. A slight blush creeps up my neck.

"Hello Angelica, as you can see you-"

I interrupt him with a bone crushing hug, so happy that he's here. That he's _mine_ now. A small shiver goes up my spine when I feel him return the hug as well and even strokes my hair a bit.

"You're never leaving my side Ram," I say, although it's a little muffled because my face is currently buried in his shirt.

"Yea I know. We're practically joined at the hips now huh?"

I blush a bit at the comment, which only makes me press my face deeper into his shirt. Despite the embarrassment though, this feels nice. And right. Looks like I'm going to be feeling this a lot more too. Life is good. Life sure is good.

 **A/N: Personally, I really liked it. The end of the duel sounded especially badass. I mean, hot damn! Without that barrier, those two could have damned near killed each other! If .true's alternate ending was cute and fluffy, then Gmann's is edgy and badass!**


	4. Chapter 3

It really did take only three days to walk to the border. It probably would have been way less had I used a flight spell, but where would be the fun in that? Plus, I didn't want to waste any magic when I could just simple walk.

The border of the Southern Plains looked... different from what I had imagined. I actually expected to see dead plants and corpses, but it was actually fields covered by an infinite darkness. It was like the Southern Plains were in a permanent state of midnight. It was a strangely beautiful, serene, quite sight. I almost couldn't believe that this was the home of the monsters and demons of the world.

Walking into the Southern Plains wasn't what I expected either. I half expected to be ambushed the moment I set foot onto the Plains. After a while, I couldn't feel the warmth of the sun anymore. It was just cool darkness. It didn't feel heavy or freezing or terrifying at all. It was a strangely light, cool, comfortable feeling. It was like I was walking during a perfect summer night. This is the world that the Three Plains grew to fear so much? Well, I shouldn't let my guard down. Just because the land seems peaceful doesn't mean it's inhabitants are. Plus, this is still the place were I will find the Dark Lord's past. I just need to start looking... Where do I start?

I had no idea where to go! I hadn't planned for that! But how could I? For one hundred years, this place has been unexplored and uncharted. I guess I could start by using a sonic spell to know my surroundings. After I did that, I immediately charted the area. The first ever map of the Southern Plains has just been created. It also helped me out in another way, I sensed an intelligent being nearby. You can easily tell what has intellect and what doesn't by their mannerisms. The being I sensed seemed to be collecting water and cleaning something at a lake. Maybe I can get some information out of it. No harm in trying.

It didn't take long for me to find the lake. I saw the back of the creature I sensed. It was about the same height as a dwarf, but it had ears as long as an elf. It's skin was also as green as the grass around it. My conclusion was that this was the famous "goblin" I've been taught about as a child. If I remember correctly, goblins are mischievous little monsters with a weakness for gold. Good thing I can create plenty of it using alchemy. As I walked towards the creature, it's ear shot up. It heard me approach.

It tried to run away, but I conjured a wall of stone on both sides to prevent that. When it looked to tried to jump into the lake, I conjured another stone wall to prevent that. When it saw no other escape route, it turned towards me and took a defensive stance. It was holding a blade that would be a knife to me, but a perfect sword for it's height. When I took a good look at it's face, I could obviously tell it was male. He had some short hair, a pretty large nose, a pair of beady yellow-green eyes. To me, he looked kind of... cute. I was expecting a hideous demon of a monster, not some adorable, green, elf-eared dwarf.

He looked prepared to lunge at me. "Hold. I am not after your life." He didn't look convinced. "And why should I believe your words?" He sounded like one of those old merchant travelers I see in the town. It was quite odd. "You're still alive, aren't you?" He looked skeptical. "Think about it, sir. If I had wanted to kill you, I would have used those walls around you to grind you into pulp." He looked at his surroundings. After a bit of contemplating, he seemed to have relaxed and sheathed his sword. I returned the walls to the earth and was awaiting the goblin's response. "So what do you want, human?" Straight to the point. I'm starting to like this goblin. "I'd like some information. Anything pertaining to the Dark Lord would be greatly appreciated." Now he looked confused. "Of course, I am willing to pay for that information." When I said that, I threw a bag at the goblin's feet. The bag opened to show that it was filled with golden hunks and nuggets. His face looked blank. His mouth was hanging open. It even looked like all life left his eyes. After a while, I walked over to him, and slapped him across the face with a golden bar. That probably would have hurt like hell, but he didn't seem to mind.

He finally looked at me, still with glazed eyes. "Let me get this straight: You want to know about the Dark Lord, and you're willing to pay me for it?" Was it that hard to understand? "Yes. Is that a problem?"

…

…

…

Awkward.

"DAMMIT, I LIKE THE WAY YOU DO BUSINESS! NO, SCRATCH THAT! I LIKE YA KID!" Well, that was unexpected. He was so defensive before. Now he's full on business. "Name's Frokz! Pleasure meeting ya human!" He held out his hand. Guess some gestures are universal. I grasped his hand and he started shaking me violently. "The name's Adelram. It's nice to meet you to Mr. Frokz." He stopped the handshake, but he still kept that huge grin. "Please, call me Frokz. So, what can I help ya with Adelram?"

I finally get to have some answers. Frokz could help me end this journey quicker than I had originally planned it to be. "Can you tell me anything about the Dark Lord? His past? His origins? Who he really was when he was still alive?" Frokz looked at me with a bit of disappointment in his eyes. He gave a deep sigh before he answered me. "I'm sorry, kid. Not much was really known about the Dark Lord, even when he was alive. I heard that only the Six Dark Generals really knew 'im." I really didn't want to hear that. I guess a goal that easy to achieve isn't worth it. Good thing Frokz mentioned something interesting. "Then can you at least tell me where I can find one of the Six Generals?" His eyes became stern. "You mean the ones that are left?" Left?

"There are only three left, kid. The other three were killed by those Legendary Warriors." That information surprised me. I had to ask him this question. "Then the legend is true? Basir Rarsk was able to defeat Olrox?"

Olrox Erebus. He was often considered the most powerful of the Six Generals. That's quite the feat, considering that it was said that Death himself was a member. Little was known about him, but it was common knowledge that he; along with his younger brother, Brauner; was a vampire. His powers and blood-lust were the stuff of legends. Before the hero and his party raided the Southern Plains, armies from all three plains charged in. It was said that Olrox slaughtered countless numbers of soldiers from all sides single-handedly. He was a brilliant tactician that conjured many an impossible strategy and traps that even the most skilled veteran warriors would fall prey too, but that all paled in comparison to his feats in the front lines. One soldier, who was blessed with longevity, told me of how he personally witnessed Olrox decimate an entire army of humans with what appeared to be a mere stroke of his hand. Anyone who saw this vampire would have the same thought about him: "This creature could be powerful enough to challenge the Dark Lord himself." With all of those legends, all of that power, that brilliance, that strength, it was hard to believe that a single man could defeat him.

"Well, that's not exactly true." That grabbed my attention immediately. "It's true that this Basir guy beat him, but it was only in a fist fight." A what? "Apparently, this guy seriously wanted to test out his physical strength, so he asked Olrox to fight him mano a mano. According to the old goblin who told me this story, he heard that guy tell Olrox, 'It has always been my desire to fight you at your full physical strength. Please allow me to fight you with pure martial arts!'" Did he say "desire"?! "Are you telling me he asked Olrox for a 'Desire Duel'?!" Now it was Frokz's turn to look confused. "Desire what?" I realized my mistake and told him to forget about it. I should have known he wouldn't understand. I knew for a fact that Desire Duels were most common in the Northern Plains, so there's no way that a goblin from the Southern Plains would know anything about it. Still, it was quite a surprise to hear about a Desire Duel being held in the Southern Plains. Now that I think about it, no one really knew how the Desire Duels came to be. I always thought it was just another part of the Northern Plains tradition. To think that the very first Desire Duel was fought in the Southern Plains, and between one of the Legendary Warriors and one of the Six Dark Generals of all people. This bit of information is definitely going into the journal.

"Anyway, from what the old goblin told me, Olrox accepted. He even stated that he would only use martial arts to further honor his challenger. Olrox was always said to have an honor complex. Still, from what that geezer told me, you'd think they both were using some form of magic. If you travel towards the east from here, you'll see a huge crater; completely barren of any from of life. Hell, all you'll probably find over there is dust. That was caused by their duel. I wish I could have seen the awesome fight that caused such a phenomenon. Still, apparently that Basir guy was the better fighter. He won after all. The old geezer didn't end it there though. Olrox was still breathing, but the brawler had his fun. He let his friends finish him off, but Olrox wasn't about to go down without a fight. If there was anything still alive after that duel, it wasn't anymore after that fight. Even though he was literally covered in wounds, Olrox was still able to give those other four warriors one hell of a fight. The geezer told me how he was throwing fireballs, flying around, punching, kicking, slashing, and every other thing he could do to give those warriors a hard time. These damned warriors were tough enough to kill legions of us, and here this guy was; pushing them to their absolute limits! But, in the end, he still lost. The old geezer told me how he saw the hero plunge that legendary sword of his right through that glorious, vampiric bastard's heart; and watched him fall to the ground dead. Listen kid, I don't care what anyone tells you about his decision to fight some random human on fair terms. Anyone who can do that and still fight four supremely powerful warriors after that is one hell of a fighter, soldier, and legend in my book."

I had to agree with him. Here I was, looking for the Dark Lord, and I found one hell of a legend. What I wouldn't give to meet Olrox face to face. Still, I want to know about the Dark Lord, so I need all the info I can get. "What about the other five generals? What about them?" He had to think about that for a bit. "Well, Olrox had a little brother named Brauner. I heard he was quite the little hot head. Always charged in head first. He was the leader of the more berserk monsters. Heard he was killed by that sorceress, Fatin. Shot a damned holy spell through his stomach. I heard a rumor that the psycho died with smile on his face. Guess since he died on the battlefield, he had no regrets. Medusa wasn't as lucky as those two. That dwarf, Kitoth, chopped her into pieces. The prick even went so far as to build some weird, maze of a temple and placed different pieces of her body in different areas. That was probably a good idea on his part. The soldiers that worked under her said that she could disperse her body into dozens of different kinds of snakes. Some drunken monster even mentioned how he once saw a human cut off her arm, only for it to turn into a king cobra and bite the fool. Slithered back to her and turned back into an arm. Hell, one human tried to decapitate her. Her entire body turned into a giant python, or did he say it was an anaconda? Anyway, he said that it ate the poor bastard in a second. Her head tuned into snakes, and slithered back to their respective position. The babe was practically immortal." I had to stop him. "Babe?" He looked at me with a rather lecherous smile. "Oh, hell yeah! Medusa was rumored to be seriously sexy. She had curves in all the right places, and had a nice face that you can look at for years on end. Careful though, she had this strange power that allowed her to turn you to stone if she wanted to. Something about her eyes. Oh, but to look at that face. It'd be so worth being turned into a statue." Frokz must have noticed that he was getting WAY off topic. He cleared his throat and tried to tell me the fates of the remaining generals. "The other three that are still alive are Carmilla, Cornell, and Death. That's right kid. Those rumors were not just rumors. The Dark Lord was some how able to get the Grim Reaper himself on his side. Well, after Olrox and Brauner died, Carmilla, who was the last high class vampire, took the rest of her brethren and ran. The vampires have been hiding ever since. When the Dark Lord was killed, Death also disappeared. Heard that he vowed to one day bring him back some how. I'd personally love to know how the Dark Lord was able to make Death so loyal to him." So would I. This was a being that decides who lives and who dies. Why would something that powerful be loyal to the Dark Lord? Wasn't he as mortal as the rest of us? "The Dark Lord's death also influenced Cornell. He did the same thing Carmilla did, and took all of his fellow werewolves to some unknown part of the Southern Plains. I heard that the Dark Lord was actually forcing Cornell to work for him. Guess he was the only one who was happy about his death. Still, the point is, I can't help you. No one knows where the other three generals are, and there's pretty much no way to find them. I've told you were Olrox might be, but I don't think a corpse will be much help. Sorry."

Damn. So much for asking a direct source. Still, I had one last question. "Did the Dark Lord have any known artifacts, like weapons or armor?" Frokz clapped his hands together happily. "Now THAT'S something I can help you with! You know how there are four dominant species in the Southern Plains, right?" I think I know where this is going. "Well, each of them has a piece of the Dark Lord's set. None of us wanted the Three Plains to take them as a trophy, so we all took a piece of it off of his corpse. The orcs have his gauntlets. Those things are synonymous with strength, so it only seemed right for the orcs to take that. The imps were known for their speed, so they took his boots. Saying he could run like the wind with those things would be an understatement. He was apparently able to run on anything with those bad boys. Water, cloud, lava, name it! He was able to run on them with those things. It's even rumored that those things allowed him to fly. Now, we goblins are known for a lot of thing. One of them is our handy work in constructing and destructing strong defenses, so it's only natural that we get the famous body armor. I've personally seen that marvelous piece of steel. Can't believe there was actually something powerful enough to pierce that. The last piece... is arguable in the hands of the most dangerous guardian. It's in the shadow demons' territory."

The shadow demons are known as the most dangerous of all the monsters in the Southern Plains. They were instrumental in many of the Southern Plain's victories. Olrox himself was their leader. That just shows how powerful they were.

"What artifact do they have?" Frokz was a bit hesitant to mention it. It must have been extremely dangerous. "It was the Dark Lord's sword, the Diabolo Anathema. "

That got my blood pumping. The Diabolo Anathema. It was the rival of the Deum Fidem. If God gave the Deum Fidem to the hero, then the Devil gave the Diabolo Anathema to the Dark Lord. It was considered the most powerful dark weapon ever to be forged. A single swing could level an entire mountain range into a great plain. A truly powerful weapon. Finding that sword would be a major milestone for my journey. If I could see it at least once, I'd be happy. I have to find that sword.

"Frokz, am I to assume that the Goblin Territory is the closest to us?"

"Hell no."

… Huh?

"Sorry kid. I'm only here to collect something for the king. The Goblin's turf is way father in." Well, at least he gave me a decent explanation. "The closest territory from here is the orcs'. Though, I have to warn you, they're not exactly the persuasive type. It's gonna take a lot more than gold to have an audience with so much as a grunt. All those meat heads respect is strength, but you look like you've got plenty of that." Indeed I do. This might be a bit easier than I thought.

"Well, it was great talking with ya. Something tells me that you and I'll meet again someday. I'm actually looking froward to that." Something about that made me smile. "I agree. I hope I get to see you soon. I'd also like to meet the goblin who told you everything you told me." Frokz was already a good distance away when I said that. "Good luck with that. The old fart died about a month ago." Well, that was unfortunate. I was hoping to learn so much from that old goblin.

"Whelp, until we meet next time! SEE YA 'ROUND, RAMMY!" With that, he ran back to his home.

"Rammy"? Really? And I thought Angelica's nickname for me was childish... Angelica. I wonder how she's doing. She should be awake by now. . . . Well, that isn't important right now. What is important is my next objective.

It's time to infiltrate the orcs' territory, and find the Dark Lord's gauntlets.

 **A/N: Finally, we've got ourselves an objective. We get to find the set that the Dark Lord wore in his heyday. Can't wait to see how that'll turn out. So, what do you guys think of Frokz? He kinda reminds me of, well, ME! He'll make another appearance (obviously) and will probably be a big help in terms of info and advice. The next chapter will be a bit different, by the way. You'll find out why.**


	5. Chapter 4

I was awaken by the warm rays of the sun. The light hurt my eyes a bit. I guess they were a bit sensitive today. When I looked out the window, I estimated it was around noon by how high the sun was. I should probably get up. Ram would most certainly give me a lecture about sleeping in so late. He always was the punctual type. He'd complain if he got up at seven o clock in the morning.

…

RAM!

I had remembered everything! Ram's plans! The duel! THE DUEL! What happened?! Who won?!

When I shot up from my bed, I heard a surprised yelp. When I looked to my right, I saw a nurse. It must have been from her.

"G-good afternoon, Master Angelica. Did you have a pleasant sleep?" I didn't even think about answering that. I was too busy wondering what happened to Ram. "Milady, please answer my question. Where is Ram?"

"Ram? Oh! You must be speaking of Master Adelram. I had heard that you had a special name for him." Why did that sound so suggestive? It even made me blush for some reason. "I'm afraid I do not know. After his victory in his duel with you, he placed your unconscious body into the arms of the village chief. He walked away, saying that you would know his whereabouts."

By God, he actually did it. He actually went to the Southern Plains. I had to go bring him back! He gave me permission, so I needed to leave. When I tried to get up, I started to feel a tremendous amount of strain.

"You mustn't do that, Master Angelica! You know that a Desire Duel can put much mental and physical strain on the body. Given the scale of the duel between you and Master Adelram, you still need at least four days worth of bed-rest. Truth be told, I'm quite surprised that Master Adelram was able to walk away from the duel. I suppose that is a testament to his immense strength. He truly has earned the title of The Strongest Man."

Indeed, it did. However, no matter how powerful he may be, I can't in all good conscience leave him alone in the Southern Plains. With great displeasure from both the nurse and my body, I struggled to get up from my bed and walked to the door. As I opened the door, I turned to the nurse. "Apologies. Though I am grateful for the care you have provided me, I must bring Ram back home."

"Back home from where, Master Angelica?"

I turned towards the voice. Before me stood armor. Golden armor. Then I realized that it wasn't just gold, but also silver, bronze, copper, steel, and stone. I realized that before me stood-

"THE SIX PALADINS?!" I turned to see a blushing nurse, covering her mouth out of embarrassment. "P-please excuse me. I'll leave immediately." She was stopped by the Golden Paladin, Master Trevor himself, when he raise his hand to stop her. "That is not necessary, young lady. Master Angelica is still in need of treatment, so she will be in need of you after we leave." The nurse stopped dead in her tracks. She was even blushing a bit. No surprise. Master Trevor is an extremely handsome man. Tall, physically fit, tanned skin from outdoors training, and a powerful voice that radiated leadership. His gaze turned to me.

"Master Angelica, you are in no shape to be tracking Master Adelram in any of the Three Plains. Please allow us to find him." I was skeptical. Why would the six most powerful soldiers in all of the Three Plains go out of their way to bring Ram back? " Feel no hesitation, Master Angelica. After he defeated you, it is only natural that Master Adelram should challenge my husband for his title as the Golden Paladin. The duel has already been scheduled, so we must bring him back immediately."

I turned my gaze towards the speaker. Master Sypha, the current Silver Paladin and wife of Master Trevor. Her sorcery was of the highest magnitude. Even Master Trevor's sorcery was second to hers. She was an extremely beautiful woman. A youthful face, long hazel hair, ample bosoms, gorgeous light brown eyes, fair skin, and a kind and motherly voice. Many people have compared her beauty to my own, but I can only pray that I might age as gracefully as her.

"Come on, Angel. I know this guy's a badass, but do you really think he can beat all six of us?" The next speaker was the Bronze Paladin, Master Grant. He was arguable the thinnest of the Paladins, but he was also the fastest. His speed was absolutely unparalleled. It is rumored that he is able to land one hundred hits on his opponents in a second. Such speed is unheard of. Not even Adelram is that fast.

Master Grant was struck in the back of his head by his comment. "We're only supposed to persuade him to return home, so that he may fight Master Trevor. We are not going there to challenge him to a duel." The assailant was Master Shanoa, the Copper Paladin. It was rumored that she trained with the elves to improve her archery skills. She was even said to have been able to best their most skilled archers. She kept her raven hair short to prevent it from impeding her vision. Her purple eyes seemed to be able to see through all.

"I can't help but agree with Grant. I'd personally like to go a few rounds with Adelram." Master Hammer, the Steel Paladin, was the tallest of the Paladins. He was an imposing, bald headed man with a kind spirit. A sort of gentle giant, if you will. However, he will show no mercy to his enemies or anyone foolish enough to threaten those he holds dear. Like Ram, he is the descendant of an ancient bloodline. Through much research, it was discovered that he was a descendant of the African bloodline. His skin tone was even darker than Ram's. He was an attractive looking man with a powerful voice to match his physique. He's also the most sociable of all the Paladins. He was the one who taught me and Ram the arts of blacksmith. He even helped me forge my katana. I can't even begin to count the number of other times this man has helped me.

"I-I'd actually rather avoid a conflict with Master Adelram."

Such a meek voice. I looked around to find the owner. It was the Stone Paladin. He looked no taller than myself. He was wearing his helmet. There was something so familiar about that voice.

"Sir Paladin, could you be so kind as to remove your helmet?" The Paladin visually jumped. "I'd prefer not to, Master Angelica."

"It is rude to hide your face before an ally, young man. Show your respects to Master Angelica, and remove your helm." I didn't expect Master Trevor to tell him to do such a thing. It was just my curiosity, I didn't plan on forcing him to do it. Still, with a bit of reluctance, the Paladin removed his helmet. I was surprised to see who it was. "It's been quite a while, hasn't it, Master Angelica."

"David?!"

David Israel. He was in the same year as myself and Ram. He was a small, thin young man. He wasn't outwardly remarkable. In fact, many other, larger students would harass him for his small stature. One day, I saw him being abused by a group of such students. I wanted to go and help him, but someone I didn't think would help reached him first. It was Ram. Before one of the assailants could land a blow on David, Ram caught the fist. This was before we were given the title of the Strongest. Ram may have looked impressive, but the opponents were physically larger. However, they were also far weaker than him. They did not know this, and actually threatened him. I can still remember his aggravated face and what he said to them.

"Please be quite. It's annoying to hear such weak dogs barking so loudly. Even more so to watch them bite at diamond that's far more valuable than them."

That last statement surprised everyone, even David himself. Ram was always able to see the potential in people. It was a strange gift of his. Though, that gift sure pissed off those barbarians. They all tried to attack him at once. Big mistake. In less than a second, Ram practically destroyed them. He was never one for holding back or showing mercy to those who aggravated him. To anyone else, it was finished in a flash. To me, he was smashing all of their vitals. Well, except for their jewels. His honor wouldn't allow for that. According to what he told me, he'd only aim for that in either absolute warfare or a lawless brawl. Since these were school grounds, his rules applied here. Though he struck their vitals, he didn't use nearly enough force to kill them. However, their gonna go through some pretty intense pain for a couple of days.

After giving those fools a brutal lesson in human anatomy, Ram helped David to his feet. He even went so far as to use a healing spell to heal his injuries. I could see the grateful expression on David's face, but he still couldn't hold in his curiosity for why Ram helped him. What Ram said was some of the kindest things I have ever heard him say to anyone.

"You underestimate yourself. You may not see it now, but you have a vast amount of potential. Far more than the insects that tried to belittle you. They have reached their prime, but you have still yet to reach yours. This I promise you, one day, you will be a man of great strength and honor. You may even become powerful enough to have your name reach the Three Plains. I look forward to that, just as I look forward to one day having a battle with you."

David had no idea how much of a complement that was. Besides myself, there has only been one person that Ram has outwardly expressed an interest in one day fighting. Master Trevor. To say that he wanted to fight David one day showed just how much potential the boy had. It's amazing to see how right he was.

It was amazing to see how much David has grown through the years. Not only was he far taller than his previous stature, but he was also far more physically fit. The skinny child I knew in the academy was nothing more than a memory. He had a chiseled body, olive colored skin, and a more powerful looking face. His gray eyes even radiated strength. He grew up to be such a handsome and powerful young man, and a Paladin no doubt.

"Um, Master Angelica, it's kinda embarrassing for you to stare at me in such a way."

I hadn't realized that I was gawking at him. How embarrassing. At least he still retained something from the past. He still had that meek and quite personality and voice.

"Forgive my rudeness, Master David. It has just been so long."

"There is nothing to forgive, Master Angelica. I have gone through quite the dramatic change, haven't I. I have Master Adelram to thank for this. He inspired me to reach these heights. I owe him so much. That's exactly why I don't want to have any form of conflict. I'm actually hoping I can convince him to return home peacefully."

"That is the goal of all Six Paladins, Master David." Master Trevor turned to look at David with those steely, golden brown eyes of his. "Though many of us do wish to challenge him to a duel, that is not the appropriate measure for this particular mission." He then turned his gaze to me. It was so powerful. "Master Angelica, please believe me. Combat would be an absolute last measure to bring him back. However, rest assured, we will bring him back from where ever he is. Please, tell us where he is."

I couldn't sense any ill intent. He wasn't showing any signs of lying either. I finally decided I could trust them. With a heavy sigh, I gave them the answer they wanted. "He's in the Southern Plains."

The nurse was the first to react. She screamed bloody murder and fainted. She would have landed ungracefully onto the floor had Master Grant not caught her. I could swear he was purposely grabbing her breasts. I must have been correct, since Master Shanoa was staring daggers at him. The nurses reaction was understandable. For years, the Northern Plains have been told stories of how dangerous and hellish the Southern Plains were. It was filled with all manner of unholy creatures that wouldn't hesitate to murder any being from any of the other Three Plains. However, what confused me was the reactions of the Paladins.

Master Trevor's gave barely changed at all. Master Sypha's eyes just widened in what I could only guess was shock. Master Grant kept his face hidden after he placed the nurse onto the separate bed in the room, but I could almost swear I saw him... smirk. Master Shanoa's face was as expressionless as ever, but I think she turned he face away from me. It was like she couldn't look me in the eye. Master Hammer gave an exasperated sigh while looking down at the ground. He was arguably one of the closest people to me and Ram, so I guess he saw this coming. Davi- I mean, Master David looked so... depressed. His eyes showed that this was most likely the worst case scenario for him.

There was a deep silence in the room. After a few moments passed, Master Trevor finally released a deep sigh. "Rest assured, Master Angelica. We will return with Master Adelram from that hell. Please allow us to leave with your blessings." To emphasis this, Master Trevor bent down on his right knee and placed his right fist onto the floor while bowing his head. He was completely bowing to me. With a defeated sigh, I finally gave my blessings to the Paladins. When that was finished, they all left to start their journey. I walked over to my window to watch them leave. Being the two sorcerers of the group, Master Trevor and Master Sypha cast flying spells on themselves. Master Grant used his impressive speed to keep up with them. Master Hammer, Master Shanoa, and Master David all had a more... unique style of transportation.

Like in the Eastern Plains, the remnants of an ancient civilization was also discovered in the Western Plains. The dwarfs used the knowledge of those ruins to make themselves into the mechanical juggernauts they are today. They powered much of their machines using steam and magic infused stones given to them by the residents of the Northern and Eastern Plains. It was thanks to the dwarfs that so many people in the Three Plains can live with warmth in the winter and cold in the summer, along with other convenient machines that simplify so many household chores. One of the most interesting things the dwarfs found in the ruins were machines used for transportation. One of the machines that caught Master Hammer's eye the most was a machine called a motorcycle. With the help of the dwarfs, Master Hammer was able to construct his own motorcycle. It's considered one of the fastest modes of travel in all of the Three Plains. Master Trevor even used it to challenge Master Grant, the fastest man in the world, to a race. The race ended in a tie in less than a second. All the way from the Western Plains to the Northern Plains, a three day journey in the blink of an eye.

Master Hammer's motorcycle was big enough to hold two people and had a passenger car attached to it. Master Shanoa got onto the back of the motor cycle and held onto Master Hammer, while Master David climbed into the passenger car. The three drove off to catch up with the other Paladins.

Master Trevor and Master Sypha's flight spell didn't allow them to go as fast as Master Grant or Master Trevor, but it should still take them about a day to reach the border of the Southern Plains. When they reach that, I'll have just three more days of rest. When I am fully recovered, I'll join them to help bring Ram back home. They will most certainly need my help.

* * *

The journey was quite for the most part. No one had said a word since we left Master Angelica's hospital room. My wife was as steel faced as ever, while Grant looked like he wanted to get there as soon as possible. Hammer and Shanoa looked like they were mentally preparing themselves, but Young Master David looked hesitant. He surprised me when he spoke.

"Did we really have to lie to her?"

All eyes were now on our youngest member. He used this opportunity to voice his opinion.

"We told Angelica that we would bring Mas-... Adelram back safely. Should we have really have lied to her?"

I was about to speak, but Grant beat me to it. "Listen kid, had we told her what we were really plannin' to do to that punk, she would have tried her damnedest to keep us from leavin'."

"That's right, Master David." The eyes were know on Sypha. "Master Angelica loves Adelram. She would never allow any form of harm to come to him."

When she said that, I could not help but turn my attention to Hammer. "What of you, old friend? I seem to remember that you have quite the history with our target." Hammer looked at me with an aggravated look. After giving a defeated sigh, he gave me his answer. "Adelram was one of my brightest students. Along side Angelica, he was also one of my favorites. He was brilliant, skilled with the hammer, and had a thirst for knowledge. Maybe it was that thirst for knowledge that put him on this foolish path to begin with. As his teacher, it's my responsibility to take him down, no matter the cost." I was pleased with his answer. I turned my head to the next potential threat to the mission. "And what of you, Young Master David. Of all of us, you have the closest relation to the target. Will you be able to accomplish this mission." Young Master David looked down. His eyes were completely shadowed. "I owe a great debt to Adelram. It was because of him that I was able to make it this far in the world. All I wanted to do was live up to his expectations, especially when I heard all of the great things that were said about him. It is no small feat to say that he his the only reason I am the man I am today." What he said was starting to worry me. He was silent for a while, with all eyes on him. Finally, he lifted his head. His eyes were shining with a great amount of strength. "However, I am a Paladin now. No matter how great the debt I owe him, it still does not outweigh my duties as Paladin. No matter what, I shall capture him."

I was pleased with this. We were all prepared to capture Adelram. However I was not a heartless mercenary. I told Hammer and Young Master David that I would allow them to try to convince Adelram to return to the Northern Plains peacefully. They thanked me for this offer.

After a few hours of travel, we saw the border of the Southern Plains. Once we reached it, we stopped immediately.

"Alright Paladins, our target is a fool who undoubtedly wishes to uncover the past of the Dark Lord. One false move from this man could resurrect the Dark Lord, or cause an equally devastating event that would end the one hundred year long peace the Three Plains have known for so long. We must not allow this! If he abandons this foolish quest peacefully, then praise be to God. However, should he resist..." I looked into the eyes of all of my fellow Paladins. They were preparing themselves for my next choice of words, steeling themselves for the beginning of our mission.

"We will... KILL Adelram Umbra."

 **A/N: Phew, hot damn. It took me a long time to finish this chapter. Life, work, chores, so many damned things got in the way of finishing this chapter.**

 **Well, I told you this chapter would be different. As much as I like Adelram, and he is the MC, I find it boring for the story to be just in his POV. I gotta give the limelight to other characters as well. Besides, I can't just have the Six Paladins appear out of nowhere, right? That be just plain stupid.**

 **Speaking of the Paladins, what do you think of them? Hopefully, all of their names should be familiar to video game fans. If not, let's see if you ca find where the names came from here's a hint: five of the six names came from the same game universe. Also, which was your favorite Paladin? I think I gave Shanoa the least amount of detail in terms of character. I think I made her into the strong silent type by accident. Oh well. We'll be back with Adelram and his journey in the Southern Plains next chapter.**

 **Also, I'll be damned. I didn't think I'd be able to update this chapter on 5/25/2016. Happy 21st birthday to me. . . . . . Any of you guys got a beer or something? Ooh, or maybe some sake?**


	6. Chapter 5

I really should have asked Frokz where the Orcs' Territory was. Using my echolocation spell, I have been able to chart many areas of the part of the Southern Plains I was in, and found many interesting things. Amazing wildlife, new plant life, and strange stones and minerals that you couldn't find in any of the other Three Plains. Wonder what their worth would be.

My favorite discoveries were the wildlife. The first creature I came across was a boar the size of a small house. It was an interesting fight, and the reward was delicious. It's meat had an interesting, gamy taste. I can't really compare it's flavor to anything. I came across creatures that were supposed to be legends. Griffons, Minotaurs, and even Chimeras. I sampled each of their meats, and was so incredibly satisfied. They each had their own unique flavor. I tried each of their meats in three different forms: rare, well-done, and even burnt. Who'd have thought that burnt Minotaur meat was so damned delicious? I even used some of the herbs and spices I have found, both individually and on the meat. So many unique, mouthwatering combinations. Some where better than others, but it was still fun to experiment. Since I've been using my magic non-stop, for travel and combat and cooking, I had an excuse to eat all of these different combinations.

Excessive use of magic has different side affects for different users of the arts. Some people become extremely drowsy from over use. Others can feel nauseated or weakened. The most extreme cases could result in loss of sanity, greater susceptibility to illness, or even death. I'm one of the luckier ones. I just lose more stamina, and subsequently get hungrier more quickly than the average person. If I use too much magic, say use an extremely advanced spell or continuously use magic in combat situations, I just need to gorge myself on mass quantities of food. Makes me a nightmare to all buffet owners.

Needless to say, I was having quite a bit of fun in the Southern Plains. Still, as much fun as I was having, I wasn't getting anywhere near my goal. No matter how much I searched, I couldn't find any trace of the orcs. I had just reached the edge of the area I had charted. When I used the echolocation spell, I sensed something. There were five creatures around me. Four of them were on the ground, while the fifth one was in the trees. Not far from them was what felt like a village. I'd have to worry about that later. Those figures knew of my presence, and they were starting to hunt me. These creatures were smart. I didn't know what they were, but they were not the same creatures I've been fighting and eating.

After a while of being followed, I finally realized that they were leading me somewhere. I was lead into a small clearing with trees encircling me. Looking around the clearing, I sensed something being thrown at the back of my head. I easily caught the projectile and inspected it. It was a battleaxe, and a crudely made one at that. It was basically just a giant sharpened stone tied to the trunk of a very strong tree branch. However, this weapon was strong and heavy. Had it made contact, it would have cleaved my head clean off my shoulders.

"Impressive."

I looked toward the direction where both the ax and the new, rough voice came from. Out of the trees stepped a being that was easily twice my size. It's muscles and veins were bulging from it's powerful looking body. It's green skin easily blended in with the environment, but the pelt and bones it wore made it a bit easier to see. It's powerful looking fangs on it's lower jaw were protruding from it's mouth. It looked at me with powerful, fearless pale green eyes. I finally found one. A member of one of the four dominant species of Southern Plains. Before me stood a mighty orc warrior.

"Few have been able to survive a throw of my ax, let alone capture it. You will make a fine opponent." The warrior said this while revealing a second battleaxe of the same design as the first. I don't know why that made me feel so proud. I was about to accept his challenge, until I was rudely interrupted by an annoying voice.

"Such arrogance! A newborn could capture your pathetic throw! I'll show this intruder how a REAL orc warrior fights!" I tuned my head to look behind me. Out came another orc warrior. His clothing just consisted of a scabbard for his sword and a pair of pants that looked like it was made from snake skin. Considering how large the snakes can grow here, I wouldn't be surprised if it was snake skin. This one was holding a sword as large as I was. His face had a large scar that stretched from the top of the left side of his face all the way to the lower right side of it. His face was oozing confidence. It really annoyed me.

"Indeed. This intruder must be punished by a true orc. You two weaklings can step aside." What an arrogant voice. To my right, another orc walked out of the woods. His attire looked more... polished compared to the other two. His cloak seemed to have been made of feathers. Thunderbird, maybe? His pants even looked like it was made from the fur of a Nargacuga, one of the most beautiful monsters I've seen so far. There was once a nobleman student one year ahead of me in my younger days of the academy. True, he did excel in many of the classes and was quite strong, but he always used his status has a noble to get his way. I've always hated people who flaunt power they did nothing to earn. This fool, he used his family name as a crutch, was the biggest example of that. When our years we partnered together to train, and he was made my partner, I beat him to a bloody pulp. As a form of retaliation, he tried to use his status to have many different warriors return my beating ten-fold. It didn't end well for them. Last I checked, more than a fourth of them fully recovered. The others are still in the hospital. His fear of me increased, and he never tried to harass me again. Instead, he tried to send hired hands to harass people close to me, like Angelica or that David boy. They never knew about that, since I took care of those fools as well. To show my appreciation to that noble, I broke the Lumbar Region of his spine. He's been in a wheelchair ever since. I warned him that if he abused his status in such a foolish way ever again, I wouldn't be nearly as kind as I was this time. Seeing the terrified expression on his face confirmed that he got the message. For some reason, this particular orc reminded me of that noble bastard perfectly. He was just as imposing as the other two orcs, with a mace covered in sharpened spikes as his weapon of choice. His face was just as arrogant looking as his voice. I really wanted to break that orc.

"LET ME HANDLE THE INTRUDER! I'LL SHOW HIM THE TRUE STRENGTH OF THE ORCS!" Loud. So unnecessarily loud. The owner of the voice was definitely the largest of the four orcs. He came from the left side of the forest. He sported a hammer as a weapon, if you can call a boulder tied to a tree a hammer. He wasn't wearing a shirt. He just wore a pair of pants that looked like it was made from burlap. Still, he looked like he would be fun to fight.

"I was the first to attack him. I will be the one to take his life." I actually wanted to fight him.

"HA! You think this is 'first come, first serve'?! NO! It is where the first one who kills the intruder gets the glory!" Technically, there was no argument with that logic. It's not like this was an honorable duel or something.

"That is quite true. Hard to believe an oaf such as yourself could have such flawless logic." The sword-wielding orc glared at the mace wielder. The mace really sounded like he enjoyed talking down to people. "On that note, will you not join us, or does the prey not suit you?" I followed his gaze up a solitary tree. In it was the fifth and final warrior. The warrior, who looked just a foot taller than myself, was lying comfortable against the tree with one leg swinging freely. It was wearing full body armor and a helmet that completely concealed it's face.

"No." It's voice was filtered by the mask. It was impossible to know whether the owner was male or female. "I have no interest in such an unimpressive looking target." Oi. "You may do with him as you please."

That orc must have been the leader, for as soon as it gave the word, the hammer wielding orc attacked me. He tried to smash me beneath his hammer, but I was easily able to jump out of the way. Thinking he saw an opportunity, the sword wielder tried to cleave me in half. I just side stepped out of the way and landed a roundhouse kick to his face. Sent him flying through three trees. The final impact knocked him out cold. The masked orc seemed to find interest in this, and completely turned it's attention toward me. It wasn't the only one. The mace wielder and the hammer user tried to double team me. Dodging their simultaneous attacks was enjoyable. I was even able to trick them into attacking each others heads. They knocked each other out. The boulder was turned to dust, while the mace's spikes broke on impact. Guess that shows the impressive thickness of an orc's skull and their incredible strength. I didn't expect much from those three, but they were still enjoyable to fight.

I turned my attention to the final orc, the one I actually wanted to fight. He looked pleased, if the smile was any indication. He pointed his battleaxe towards the one I dropped when I dodged the hammer. "Take it. We shall do battle with these mighty axes." He wanted to fight me honorably. I liked this man. He's more than a worthy opponent compared to the other three. I honored his request, and grabbed the ax. We both took our respective battle stances. I couldn't see a single opening. That made it more fun. True, I do like to exploit my enemies' weaknesses and openings, but I find it more enjoyable to make an opening. We just stood there, waiting for the other to make a move. I spotted a falling leaf out of the corner of my eye. That would be my indicator. I watched as it gently fell to the ground. Once it landed, we both charged at each other. The collision of our axes resonated throughout the clearing. It felt like the bones in my arms were vibrating from the impact. This warrior was strong. Possibly the most physically powerful being I have fought as of yet. He was even powerful enough to push me back. Me, the man who was called the Strongest. This orc was stronger than me. That thought got my blood boiling and my adrenaline pumping. I had found a worthy opponent to fully test my strength! The orc must have also been pleased, for his grin grew even wider than before. Our battle continued, with our blades constantly clashing against each other. We would always push one another back, at testament to both of our immense strength. This was the second fight that made me fell so alive. To think there were beings this strong in the Southern Plains. It was glorious! However, all great things must always come to an end. During one of our clashes, I saw one. An opening. He left the right side of his head completely defenseless. I wanted to continue the battle, but I also wanted to prove my strength to this amazing warrior that gave me the honor of challenging him. With my speed, I planted the ax into the right side of his head. With all of my strength, I started to push the ax. The blade itself shattered into nothing, but I didn't stop. I still had the hilt of the weapon. With an even greater act of exertion, I slammed the wooden trunk into his head. I sent him speeding into the base of a large tree. The impact made an explosive sound. The orc fell to the ground. I walked up to him. He was smiling. His eyes were closed, but I could still hear his heart beat and I could see his chest rise and fall from his relaxed breathing. He was still alive. Unconscious, but alive. . . . . . I did it. I've won.

I looked around. Four mighty orcs lay before me, unconscious. It was my victory! I WON!

I couldn't help but laugh from pure joy. Though it was short lived when I had remembered something. I needed them to tell me where their home was. I FORGOT! IN ALL OF THIS EXCITEMENT, I HAD FORGOTTEN TO LEAVE ONE AWAKE TO LEAD ME TO THEIR VILLAGE! Oi, I guess I'll just have to be patient and wait for one of them to awaken.

That's when I sensed something. It wasn't killing intent. It was lust. A lust for combat. Doing a complete one-eighty, I raised both of my arms in front of my face in time to block a kick. I had forgotten about the fifth and final orc. The masked warrior stood before me. It stood in such a majestic form. It's looks alone radiated power. My arms were shaking from the impact of it's last strike. This warrior was even stronger than my previous opponent.

"Quite impressive indeed. I must apologize to you for my ignorance. I had underestimated you by your appearance alone. All but one of us has. Warrior! I request a duel with you!" Saying that, the masked orc pulled out to daggers from it's belt. They were dangerous looking weapons. They must have been made from a special ore, since they were as green as the leaves around us. The warrior took a stance that left no openings whatsoever. My lust for battle was resurfacing. I wanted to fight this mysterious orc. "Take your opponent's remaining ax. Should we fight, it shall be in arms!" So orcs like one-on-one fights to be fair. Orcs are my kind of people.

I took the ax and went into position. I suppose both of us wanted to fight immediately, since we both attacked each other as soon as I took my stance. This fighter was incredibly fast. It took all of my reflexes to block the barrage of strikes. The fighter was doing just was well in blocking my attacks. This ax had a great amount of power behind it. It made blocking very dangerous to do, but this warrior was still able to do just that. During our many clashes, I saw an opening. The warriors left itself open at the lower left side of it's armor. I used that to my advantage. I feinted a strike to the helmet. The warrior seemed to have fallen for it, since it brought it's blades up to protect it's helm. That was my chance. With all of my speed and strength, I planted the ax right into the chink of the armor. The warrior was steeling itself for the rest of the attack. With all of my remaining strength, I dragged the ax up the armor. The higher I went, the more cracks appeared on the armor. When I finally reached the helm, I yanked out the ax and struck the helmet. It seems I didn't damage the warrior at all, since it jumped and flipped away from me once I finished my attack. The orc studied it's armor. It was probably wondering if it could continue this fight with that now ruined armor. It's next action surprised me. Digging it's fingers into the cracks of it's armor and helmet, the warrior ripped it's armor completely; fully revealing itself. What I saw next was... incredible.

The warrior was an orcess, and a beautiful one at that. Long, green flowing hair; bright, strong, golden sharp eyes; and a exotically beautiful face. Even her fangs looked as white as pure pearls. Her clothing was a simple black tank-top with a pair of pants that looked like it was made from boar hide and a pair of combat boots. Her body was quite the marvel as well. She wasn't grossly muscular. Her body was finely toned without a trace of any form of body fat. Even her D-cup breasts were- D-cup? SHE WAS A SIZE LAGER THAN ANGELICA?! WAIT! WHY AM I EVEN ANALYZING THAT PART OF HER BODY?! HELL, WHY AM I COMPARING HER TO ANGELICA?! WHY AM I THINKING OF ANGELICA AT ALL?!

Before, I could continue my internal mad rant, the orcess broke me out of my rather perverse thought process with a satisfied chuckle. "I am the mighty Sharn, daughter of the War Chief of the Orcs! Warrior, state thy name!"

What a strong sounding voice. That was the voice of a woman who commanded respect, and probably has done more than enough to deserve it. It was quite attractive. Yet, she just wanted my name? Well, I see no problem in that. "My name is Adelram! Adelram Umbra!"

"Adelram? Hm, I see. Such a powerful sounding name. . . . . . Very well! I've decided! I shall make you mine!"

Make you mine? Did she want me as a slave or as a pet? Either way, it's not about to happen. She may be beautiful, but I'm about to teach Sharn a brutal lesson. By the end, she will know that I bow to no one.

"Yes! This I promise you! Though they shall be of mixed blood, our children shall be the strongest in the land! They will bring great pride and honor to both of our names!" She proudly brought her right fist to her heart, a prideful grin on her face.

Mixed blood? Our children? Children? Children. Children? Children?! CHILDREN?! SHE WANTS MY CHILDREN?! SHE WANTS TO MATE WITH ME?!

A thousand images ran through my head. It got even worse when I took a closer look at Sharn's goddess physique. I was becoming more and more attracted. It could practically feel my hormones going into overdrive. Images of her in the nude continuously popped into my mind. Why was my mind so lewd right now?! Then I had to go and imagine how our children looked. How could they be both cute and handsome?!

Right before I could overload my mind, I thought of her. I thought of Angelica. I started to call down for some reason. She always did have a sort of calming affect on me. She always made me feel so happy. So at peace. I remembered her kind personality. Her soothing voice. Her angelic beauty. Had it not been for that one moment of thought, I probably would have been out cold.

After I was completely calmed down, my reflexes were able to block Sharn's attack. Her armor must have been used as weights. She was so fast! She could vanish faster than I could blink. Those four orcs were strong, but she was so incredibly fast that she didn't even need their level of strength. To bad she had just that. Each strike was heavier than the last. It was if her speed was gradually increasing her already herculean strength. I was able to block a few of her strikes, but many more were able to land. It's a good thing I know healing spells. If not, I would have been covered in scars at the end of this fight. For the sake of honor, I wouldn't use them until after the fight, but it sure was a difficult battle. She kept landing hit after hit, and all I could do was defend. I was being pushed to the edge. None of the other orcs were this difficult, not even the ax wielder. I could feel my heart pounding, but it wasn't out of fear or fatigue. It was out of excitement.

All these years, I thought Angelica was the only woman who could challenge me, yet here she was. An amazon of a woman. So strong, so beautiful, so proud and powerful. I had to beat her! I had to show that I was the better warrior!

Then I saw it. She had a pattern. When I finally caught on to it, I saw the gap in her technique. I waited for the right moment. When it appeared, I attacked. My strike landed. Sharn was dumbfounded, but was still able to jump away. The would to her abdomen was superficial, but her shirt wasn't as lucky. It was nearly torn completely off, almost completely exposing her breasts. She looked down at herself. She didn't look embarrassed at all. Instead, she smiled. She looked so pleased. When she turned her gaze to me, I could see a fire in her eyes. They were burning with a desire to win. She them took a stance. She looked like she was preparing for one final attack. I followed suite.

When we were both fully prepared, we charged at one another. Our weapons clashed in a shock-wave of absolute strength. We were pretty much evenly matched, there was just one problem. I was steadily getting distracted by Sharn's beauty. I felt my resolve start to waver. I felt as if I had two choices: concentrate on the warrior before me or think of something else. Then I thought of her again. I thought of Angelica.

For some reason, her image imbued my body with strength. I was able to win our clash of strengths. Sharn fell to the ground. Before she could get up to continue our fight, I appeared before her, placed my foot onto her chest, and positioned the ax in front of her face.

"You lose, Sharn."

She stared into my eyes for a few moments, then she laughed. A hearty laugh that held no resentment whatsoever. "Indeed, I do." I removed my foot and offered my hand. She graciously offered the gesture. "This is your victory, Adelram. Honor dictates that I must fulfill one request. What do you desire from me?"

Why did she have to say desire? When she was standing, she really was a head taller than me. I couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed when staring into her eyes, so I just looked forward. Big mistake. Her breasts were right in front of me. My face was actually heating up so much, that I had to mentally slap myself to cease these lewd thoughts in my mind. The strangest thing was that I actually imagined Angelica slapping the back of my head. I've been thinking of her a lot lately. Why is that?

After having my head cleared by the slap of the mental image of my best friend, I was able to tell Sharn my desire. "I would like to speak with your father." She looked a bit confused. "I'm looking for something. I think your father might be able to help me." After a few moments, she gave a kind and understanding grin. She agreed to letting speak to her father on the condition that I helped bring her comrades back home. It was a simple and honorable request. I went to pick up the ax wielder. He was as heavy as he looked, but he wasn't anything I couldn't handle. I had planned on picking up that annoying, sword-welding orc, but Sharn had already grabbed the other three. She made it look as effortless as picking up three sticks. Seriously, just how strong was this woman? In fact, with that kind of strength, how was I able to win?

It took us less than half an hour for us to reach her village. I could see the figures of the orcs. When we finally entered the village, many of them took notice of me. I guess this was their first time seeing a human, let alone one strong enough to hold up one of their warriors who was twice my size. I saw many orc children. They were actually kinda cute. The men looked just as powerful as the warriors I fought. Some of the women looked as beautiful as Sharn herself. Then, I saw him. He had to be the second strongest in the village. He was huge, covered in muscle, had beady eyes, short ears, and a smashed in nose.

"Hey, Sharn, how strong is that warrior over there? Would you be able to fight him head on, or is he able to fight you on equal grounds?" Sharn looked to the direction I was pointing at. She looked at me as if I were mad. "Uh, Adelram? That's a woman. She considered the most beautiful in the village." Just hearing that that THING was a woman almost made me drop the unconscious orc, but hearing that it was the most beautiful! I wouldn't be surprised if my jaw unhinged completely and smashed into the ground. "S-s-s-s-sharn? J-j-j-j-just were e-e-exactly do you fall into the beauty category in this v-v-v-village?" She took a while to think of the answer. "My body has been seen to be quite desirable, however, my face is less than presentable. I'm considered one of the least attractive, like those women over there." She pointed to a group of female orcs that would send most women in my village into a jealous frenzy. They were gorgeous. Not in the same league as Sharn or Angelica, but damn near close. "I suppose I'm not very attractive to you either? I'm guessing it's my body that excites you, correct?" That and everything else she told me caused me to explode. "LIKE HELL! YOU AND THOSE WOMEN OVER THERE WOULD BE CONSIDERED PAGAN GODDESSES OF BEAUTY! MOST OF THE MEN IN MY VILLAGE WOULD KILL TO BE JUST NEAR YOU!"

I just realized the outburst I had made. I looked around to see many of the orcs staring at me. The aforementioned female orcs were turning a darker shade of green from what they heard from me, but that was nothing compared to the shade of red I was most definitely in. I turned to Sharn to see a shocked expression on her face. After an awkward silence, she then burst out laughing. "You humans sure are strange!" That was the most embarrassing moment in my life. She was laughing the entire time we walked to the medical tent. She calmed down after we left the four warriors with the village doctor, and lead me to her father's tent.

"War Chief! I request an audience with you!"

"Enter." Even calm, that voice sounded so loud and powerful. When we entered, I saw the owner of the voice surrounded by female orcs. They were all so beautiful. Still, not even their beauty could distract from the immense aura this man was giving off. There were dire wolves in the Southern Plains. They were by far the toughest of the beasts that I have fought. This orc was wearing the pelt of a snow white wolf, using it's upper jaw as a mask. His eyes peered through the holes of where the wolf's eyes originally were. He was practically made of muscle, with scars completely covering his body. His eyes were so strong, but they were not judgmental at all. They were studying me, and they looked so... pleased.

"War Chief, this man has defeated me in single combat, and four other warriors simultaneously! As a reward for this great victory, he has asked for an audience with your Greatness!"

That information seemed to have pleased the War Chief, for he visually smiled. After studying me, he turned towards Sharn with a stern look. "Sharn, I believe that I have informed you to address me as 'Father' whenever we are alone or with a guest." Sharn actually blushed and looked away. She answered her father with a small, meek, and cute tone. "Y-yes. Forgive me, F-Father." That... was strangely adorable. It seemed to have pleased the War Chief as well, if that fatherly smile was anything to go by. He then turned his attention to me. "Noble warrior who bested my daughter, grace me with your name and your reason for this requested audience."

I couldn't help but straighten my stance and cross my arms behind my back. I guess that's what years of military-like training will do to you. "Sir! My name is Adelram Umbra! I humbly request... for you to show me the Dark Gauntlets! Sir!" Every orc visually tensed at the mention of the gauntlets. Even Sharn and her father had a look of surprise. I felt that I needed to clarify myself. "Sir, please do not fret. I have no intention of taking them. I started this journey to find the hidden past of the Dark Lord. I believe that his gauntlets my hold a clue to that elusive part of history."

The War Chief was looking me straight into my eyes. I think he was trying to find any ulterior motives. After a few moments past, he gave a small sigh, and rose from his throne. "Follow me, Sir Adelram. You as well, Sharn." We looked at each other and followed the orders. He lead us outside of his tent, and into the outskirts of the village. We followed him until we reached a temple, sealed with a large boulder that was twice the size of the giant orc. However, he lifted it as easily as if it were a pebble, and gestured for us to follow him inside.

During the walk down the dark corridor, with the light of a torch held by the Chief to guide us, he began to speak. "Those gauntlets are a symbol of the Dark Lord's immense physical strength. It was said that he was able to punch a mountain into nothing. Not even dust would remain. After he was defeated, we orcs knew that we had to be the ones to protect them. To ensure that they would never fall into the hands of the enemy. For the past century, the War Chief was the sole guardian of the treasured armor. My daughter would have been next in line for it's protection, yet there is an aura about you. One that helps me to trust in you." I couldn't help but feel honored by this statement, and the knowledge he provided was invaluable. He was helping me so much. After a while, he finally stopped. "Behold, the Dark Gauntlets."

When I saw them, I couldn't help but be struck by amazement. The gauntlets were being hovered by a strange light. They were as black as the night sky, with fingers that looked as sharp as blades, steel that looked stronger than anything the Three Plains had to offer, and a beautifully intricate design. It was a masterful work of art.

I looked at the War Chief, and internally asked permission to wear the pieces of the Dark Lord's armor. As if answering my unspoken question, he nodded his head. Carefully grasping the gauntlets, I inserted my hands into them. They were about two or three sizes too large for me, but I was still satisfied. However, I still saw no obvious clue to the Dark Lord's past. Then, it happened.

The gauntlets started to radiate a dark aura and seemed to shrink. They were shrinking, until they perfectly fit my forearm. I then felt an intense, burning pain. It felt like the gauntlets were fusing to my flesh. When the pain was gone, I saw something. Something miraculous. It didn't take long for me to realize that what I was seeing was the memories of the gauntlets.

I saw the right gauntlet slam onto a map of all four of the Great Plains. It was a quick glimpse, but I was able to see that the Southern Plains were easily the largest of all four. I then saw the left gauntlet being lifted into the air, followed by thunderous cheers. Before the gauntlets were waves and waves of soldiers from every race of the Southern Plains. I could even see the goblins and the orcs. The scene then changed to the right gauntlet colliding with a glowing fist, while the left gauntlet was holding a magnificent, black sword. That sword then clashed with an equally magnificent, brilliantly shining blade. The clash caused a blinding flash, and the next scene I saw... was the palm of the right gauntlet... covered in blood. . . . My blood.

Then, everything went black.

 **A/N: Phew. Finally. Eight pages worth of work, finally finished. But it's not over yet. True, there were plenty of places where I could have stopped for the next chapter: the meeting with the orcs, the beginning of the dual with the ax orc, Sharn's reveal, and even Sharn's defeat. However, I FUCKING HATE CLIFFHANGERS. I don't need some tried and tired cliché to have you guys want to read this story. If you guys would want to continue reading it, then you will. Besides, Sharn was a character I really wanted to introduce to you guys. My friend coreysmith1221, if you're reading this, then you'll know why since I technically gave you some spoilers during one of our PM conversations. Anyway, remember how I said I was a fan of alternate endings and how I would change the rating? Well, here is the reason. If this was a video game, a cut-scene would appear after you beat Sharn. Two choices would emerge: think of Angelica; think of Sharn. Thinking of Angelica would have you continue the canon story, while thinking of Sharn will lead to something more... steamy. Oh, and to another friend of mine. To my friend, 18jringo. I seriously do respect you and think of you as a friend, so I need to say this to respect your beliefs should you ever get this far: DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE READ THIS PART! STOP RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW! THIS IS A LEMON! DO YOU HEAR ME?! THIS IS YOUR LEMON WARNING! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THEM, STAY AWAY FROM HERE CLICK TO CHAPTER 6, cause I can pretty much guarantee that at least two other friend of mine will try their hands at making their own version of this alternate ending. I'm hoping .true and Gmann will actually try. I mean, look at how awesome a job they did with Angelica's alternate ending. Plus, .true actually dabbled in lemons, so he might actually do a damn good job. Well, off to my VERY FIRST lemon. Don't expect to much. Perverts or people who don't mind lemons only.**

I thought of Sharn.

I could feel her strength greatly outclass my own, until her blades slashed through my ax. In the next second, she used the hilts of her daggers to knock me unconscious. The last thing I saw was her smiling face, reveling in her victory.

When I had awoken, I saw the roof of a canopy. It was made of the pelts of different beasts. The tent was dimly lit by a small lamp. My head was pounding and I felt a faint chill for some reason. When I sat up and looked down, I saw the reason why.

I was naked. Completely, utterly, stark naked. No shirt, no shoes, no pants, and not even any underwear. I was completely naked.

"You're awake." I looked to my right to see her. She was sitting, using her left leg to rest her strong arms on. When I looked at her, she rose from her position and walked toward me. She was completely naked as well. I could feel the heat rise in my face, and an erection was starting to form against my will.

When she got close enough to me, she went on all fours, and seductively crawled toward me with a lustful smile and a light blush. When she saw that I was fully erect, she gave a playful giggle. "It looks like you're fully prepared. Though, just to be safe."

Before I could ask her what she was planning, she kissed me. I could feel her tongue exploring the insides of my mouth, but I also felt another sensation. It was some kind of liquid. It was saliva. Then I realized what she had given me when I felt a rushing sensation of sexual energy. She had given me-

"An aphrodisiac. This way, we can consummate with no difficult." With that said, she positioned herself above my erection. She slowly lowered herself onto me, and I could feel the slow sensation of entering her body. Then I felt something. It felt like some kind of barrier. Then I realized what I had hit. Before I could say anything, Sharn had forced it through her.

I saw the blood, but that was the last thing on my mind. All I could think of was how amazing it felt inside of her. I couldn't tell if it was because of her muscles or if it was natural, but she was so incredibly tight. The heat from her body was therapeutic. Her scent was intoxication. The wetness of her insides made movement simple, even with the tightness. There were so many reasons, I should have climaxed then and there, but my stamina held out. My lust to continue with this sensation also played a factor. I had never felt this much pleasure, not even in the heat of battle.

Eventually, I took the lead. I pushed Sharn onto her back and started to thrust continuously. Her cries of pleasure and her lack of resistance told me she was also enjoying the experience, even going so far as to wrap her strong, smooth legs around my waist. During this act, I stole a kiss from her. She returned it with even more passion, wrapping her arms around my head. Our tongues were fighting over dominance while we were making love. Finally, we both reached our limit. We both experienced our climax.

I could fell my seed entering her womb, as her walls started to tighten. Even when I had fully released the load, my erection did not cease. Looking into her lustful, pleading eyes, I knew that neither of us were satisfied.

It continued like this for several hours. We would both fight for dominance, pleasuring one another, and feeling endless ecstasy. I couldn't even count the amounts of times I've ejaculated inside of her. After countless hours of lustful mating, we were both finally satisfied. I laid on my back while she rested her head onto my chest, rapping her left arm around my right shoulder. Completely drenched in sweat with no energy whatsoever, we allowed sleep to claim us.

When we awoke, Sharn took me to her father's tent to tell him of our relation. He seemed pleased, but gave me a simple, albeit, strange task. He handed me a dagger and a small flask, and ordered me to completely fill the container with my blood. I complied with this order. When the deed was done, he brought me and Sharn into the tent of village's elderly witch doctor. The War Chief had me strip myself of my clothing. I could always replace my clothes with the pelts of the beasts I have slain, so I found no difficulty in doing so. That's when I saw something incredible. With the flask filled with my blood, soil from the earth, and bones from an unknown creature, the elderly witch doctor created a perfect clone corpse of my body. I didn't even know a spell like that even existed. It must have been a spell known only in the Southern Plains. However, I saw no use for the corpse... at that time.

Barely two days had past before I felt a powerful presence. I cloaked my own aura completely, and looked out of Sharn's tent to see something completely unexpected. The Six Paladins were in the village.

Before anything could be done by the warriors, the War Chief dragged my false corpse to the warriors and through it at Ma- or rather, towards Trevor, who effortlessly caught it by the throat. The Chief demanded in a powerful, no-room-for-argument tone to take the "filthy intruder" out of his village and to never return. After analyzing the "corpse", the Paladins complied with the order and left with the fake. That was the last time I ever saw anyone outside of the Southern Plains.

Several years have passed since then, and Sharn's prediction for our children... far surpassed any expectations anyone had, even our own. I still remember the time one of my sons beat the ever-living crap out of that annoying sword-wielding orc, and another time when one of my daughters humiliated that arrogant mace-wielding orc. Sharn was right. Our children has brought nothing but pride to us.

My search for the Dark Lord's past my have had an abrupt end, but I had no regrets. I was the member of a powerful clan, had a beautiful and strong wife, children that brought me nothing but pride and happiness, and a life that held no dull moments whatsoever.

I was content with this end.

 **A/N: Well, you might be Adelram, but I have some mixed reviews. I honestly don't know what to feel about this. I'm thinking of just having you guys make the A Es from now on. You know, I tell you the criteria necessary for the A E and see what you guys come up with. I'll let the reviews for this ending make my decision. If you want me to continue making alternate endings, I'll do it. However, for now, the same rules apply. You all have my permission to write your version of Sharn's victory and their "first night" together. That's right, I'm telling you guys to write a lemon. Gmann, .true, I'm actually hoping you two might try your hand at this. I know for a fact that .true has at least dabbled in lemons, but I have no memory of Gmann doing it, even though he's a Rated-M writer. Well, he's surprised me before. If an alternate ending is created, I'll post it in it's own chapter like I did for Angelica, so keep your eyes peeled boys and girls. Oh, and before I forget, .true has just posted the first chapter of his spin-off story Fulfilling A Desire. I personally liked it. Angelica's even cuter in that fic than when I first imagined her, but that's not the most important thing. The most important thing is that it had CHOCOLATE! Hopefully, it was milk chocolate. I'm not a big fan of dark chocolate. Too bitter.**


	7. Alternate Endings: Sharn's Victory

**A/N: I finally got one. An alternate ending for Sharn's victory, AND IT'S A TWO FOR ONE DEAL! HELL YEAH! Remember boys and girls, Sharn's victory will always lead to a lemon. If you don't like lemons, please click onto the next chapter (if it's there). Should you lemon haters leave a review on this chapter, THEN YOUR A PHONY! HEY, EVERYBODY! THIS GUY'S A BIG, FAT PHONY! The italic was what .true wrote. These were both made by him. Tell me which one was your favorite in your reviews. I'm still trying to decide.**

 _When falling asleep, I had a great how to begin the lemon, but then it became more kinky, so I decided to write both a fluffy and a steamy (still fluffy, unfortunately) version. So, this is the fluffy lemon; both scenes begin after the clash between both, that Adelram lost._

I hadn't expected Sharn to change her pattern; with a single strike, she had passed my defense and hit me, sending me flying. Before I could stand up, she put her foot on my chest.

"You lose.", she smirked. I raised my hands in defeat and smiled a little.

"Yeah. I guess you own me now, huh?"

"I do, and I can do whatever I want with you.", said Sharn with a small blush that surprised me. Who knew the strongest warriors could get flustered over something so…well, I wouldn't exactly say trivial, but…it still surprised me.

"What now? Do you put me on a leash and drag me around?", I asked.

"What? No! I mean, if you want it…", she said.

"NO!", I interrupted. The last thing I'd do in my life would be wearing a collar and act like a slave.

"Now that we're done, here's your first order: from now on, you'll call me Mistress Sharn.", she commanded with a smile.

"Yes, Mistress Sharn.", I said in a slightly seductive manner, causing her to blush even more.

"Y-you know, m-maybe you drop the Mistress…", stuttered Sharn, clearly embarrassed. "Anyway, Adelram, we head back now. Get those muscle-brains over there and take them back, will ya?"

I simply nodded and followed her wish.

‑

We had dumped the unconscious warriors at the gate of the village; Sharn was leading me towards a tent in the middle of the village. I looked around, seeing a lot of scarred orcs with tons of muscles; a few children were playing – or rather fighting – around.

"You sure have a lot of men in this village. Where are the women?", I asked Sharn.

"Right there.", she said pointing at the group of what I assumed were males.

"Wait, those are women?! Then where are the men?", I asked shocked.

"There both over there.", said Sharn a little confused. "You can't distinguish them? Over there are our most fearsome warriors, along with the most beautiful women in the village!"

"Most beautiful? I don't know what your definition of beauty is, but you exceed them by far!", I said baffled; maybe it was their lust for battle that defined their understanding of beauty.

"A-Adelram! I-I'm not beautiful, look at me! I don't have any scars, and less muscles.", she stuttered, seemingly self-conscious.

"Because of that you are…", I sighed. Sharn blushed and entered the tent.

‑

"War Chief!", she said and bowed a little before a big orc; this guy exceeded them all, in all categories. As a symbol of his position, he wore the pelt of a dire wolf.

"Sharn!", he growled. "How many times have I told you…!", he took a big breath as if he wanted to shout. "How many times have I told you to call me father?", he said.

"Eh?", I exclaimed. All my respect for this man was suddenly gone; but his daughter was something special.

"War Chief…Father…I have captured this human while we were on our reconnaissance mission. I made him my husba – I mean, slave."

"Slave, huh? He looks durable. Are you sure he's just a slave?", asked the War Chief knowingly.

"Well, y-you know, of course he's j-just a slave…", she stuttered with a blush.

"I guess then you didn't even bother to learn his name."

"O-of course I did not! Ain't that right, slave?", she said. I nodded.

"Hm.", said the War Chief and rose from his chair. He walked towards me, looking me in the eyes. Suddenly, he punched me; it didn't hurt though.

"Adelram!", yelled Sharn. The War Chief looked at her, and she realized her mistake.

"Sharn, I think it would be the best if you'd take your 'slave' to your tent and teach him some 'manners'.", he said with a knowing smile. Sharn just blushed ad nodded, guiding me to her tent.

‑

"That…was interesting. Do you think he hates me?", I asked.

"No. After all, you will bless me with strong chil…dren…", she stuttered, her blush deepening with every syllable.

"About that…", I cleared my voice. Sharn looked up to my face. "I don't think we should…"

I saw tears form in her eyes. "You…you don't like me? You hate me, right? Because I took you home and stuff…", she muttered.

"No, it's not like that…", I explained. "It's just that, you know…I mean…love and stuff…" Seeing her sniffle I decided to let go of reason. "Fuck it.", I said, bowed down and kissed her.

When we parted, she looked at my lips. "You're bleeding.", she said.

"Turns out it's hard to kiss someone who has fangs.", I chuckled.

"Then let me show you how it's done right.", she whispered and pushed me on an heap of furs. She went down on me and started kissing me, slipping her tongue in, dominating mine. I stifled a moan.

I started to struggle a little, trying to gain control, but she interfered by grabbing my hand and shoving it under her top. I felt her breast and the little nub pressing against my palm. I grabbed it and slowly started massaging it, feeling how my blood rushed to both of my heads, and slowly my penis became erect, pushing against her thighs. She blushed and moaned into our kiss.

I took her top off, now working on both of her mounds; sitting up, I began to caress on my mouth, while she stripped me of my shirt. We parted for a small moment, panting. Simultaneously we stood up and took off pants and undergarments, before she hugged me and we kissed again. She laid down on her back and looked to the side. "I have never done this before…", she mumbled with a deep blush.

"Me neither.", I admitted with a wry smile. She simply put her arms around my head and pulled me in for a kiss; then, she guided me to her entrance. Slowly I entered her, until my erection pushed against a barrier. She gave me a single nod and with a powerful thrust I pushed it in. She jolted a little, but seemed fine.

I slowly started moving, her tight walls wrapping around me. She moaned a little, and I began to speed up. The warmth and wetness soon guided me to my climax, as well as my movement did to her. With a powerful thrust and roar I sent us both over the edge.

We parted, panting heavily. I rolled on my back, and she rested her head on my chest. I put my arm around her. I looked her in the eyes. "You know…I think being a slave isn't that bad after all."

 _Sooo, this was the "fluffy" version. I won't write an aftermath for either version, but writing a lemon is really exhausting. Hope you like 'em, here is the kinky version:_

With a single punch, Sharn had finally defeated me. I fell onto my back, she was standing above me, looking down with a devious smirk.

"You lost. I guess I own you now.", she grinned. I just nodded. "And you know what you will do, right?"

"Ch-children?", I stuttered. The thought of mating with such a beautiful woman stunned me a little.

"That's right, we'll have beautiful and strong children.", she smirked and went down on me. "Does this excite you?", she whispered and put a hand under my shirt. I gulped. Sharn's other hand wandered down to my crotch, grabbing my semi-erect member. "I guess it does."

She opened my pants and took it out, rubbing it a little. She removed her top, showing off her big breasts. Then she leaned down and licked along my shaft. I shivered as she repeated the motion and finally took the tip in her mouth. I moaned as the warmth of her mouth and her soft tongue caressed my erection felt too good. Angelica would never have done this, I thought, until I felt a stinging sensation. "Ouch!", I yelled. "What was that for?" Sharn hat bit me.

"You shouldn't thing of other women.", she said, licking her lips.

"How do you – I mean, I didn't!", I exclaimed. She pouted and stood up.

"Now you've ruined the mood.", she complained.

"Eh?", I said a little disappointed.

"What?", she grinned. "Were you close?", she said while bowing down and stroking my still erect member a little. I moaned.

"I-I'm sorry.", I said; she had stopped right before I climaxed.

"Don't think that'd be enough. If you really wanna make up with me…you better satisfy me.", she smiled.

I suddenly jumped up and pulled her down. I pulled Sharn's pants down and put my hand between her legs. "Better hurry up then.", I teased her and slowly began to rub the moist fabric. Sharn moaned a little.

"That little won't be enough.", she teased back. I simply began to caress her breast with my tongue and hand, occasionally planting kisses on her neck, earlobe and near her lips. Sharn moaned again and suddenly pulled me in for a kiss. After a fierce bottle of our tongues we parted; without saying a word I tore her panties apart and entered her. Surprisingly, I pushed past a barrier, earning a sharp hiss. "Idiot!", said Sharn.

"I'm sorry.", I apologized. After a minute she eased up a little and I started to move slowly. Soon I increased the tempo and Sharn started to moan again. Panting, I leaned back, Sharn now sitting on me. I still thrust with power, and now she moved too. The fraction soon brought us to our climax. Moaning, her walls tightened and I released a load of semen inside. Heavily panting, we parted. I pulled out, a drop of semen slowly left her.

"Look, it's dripping out.", said Sharn with a faked pout.

"And?", I said oblivious. Sharn looked me in the eyes, a little unnerved.

"How do you plan to get me pregnant that way?", she said. I looked confused at her, until I took the hint.

"Oh. Well, I guess I have to pour some more in then!", I said and leaped her, pushing her down with a happy yelp from her. We didn't stop mating for hours, without giving a thought if we even could conceive children or if the other orcs were watching.

 **A/N: *wolf whistle, sweating* That was pretty hot. So, we have a fluffy alternate lemon and a kinky one. Which one did you enjoy the most? Do tell, my fellow perverts (or people who read this chapter out of curiosity).**


	8. Chapter 6

Ow... Ow... Ow, ow, ow.

Uh, my head is pounding. It almost feels like something is trying to claw it's way out of my skull. When I tried to pat my head, I felt something... metallic. It was hard and had a cool feel. It was also kind of prickly at the edge. When I looked at my hand, I saw it. The Dark Gauntlets were still equipped. It wasn't a dream after all. I sat up to further inspect the beautiful pieces of black armor. When I first tried them on, they were way to big for me to try and so much as move a finger. Now it was the perfect size of my arm. I tried to see if I could remove them, put it felt like I might as well have tried to remove the flesh from my arm. I suppose that searing pain was proof that the gauntlets really were attached to them. These beautiful, gothic, darkly intricately designed gauntlets would probably never be removed.

Accepting these new accessories as a possibly permanent part of my body, I started to rise from my place of rest when I heard a soft moan. When I looked to my left to find where the sound came from, I saw a peacefully sleeping Sharn... with nothing but a blanket made of beast skin to cover her. I didn't know if she was naked or not, but the calves of her legs and the top of her breasts were exposed. It looked like all that was needed was one false movement to expose her areola. When I looked around the tent, I saw proof that she was indeed in the nude. Her clothes were lying near where she was asleep.

Just to be safe, I checked my own attire. I was fully clothed. I even still had my shoes on. It seems that when I fell unconscious, Sharn just brought me into her tent and placed me at the opposite side of where she slept.

Being as quite as possible, so as to not disturb her, I quietly exited her tent. The village was completely barren. It seems all of the orcs were asleep. I was fully prepared to leave the village, ready to begin my search for the next piece of the Dark Lord's fabled armor.

"Leaving so soon?"

I turned to see the War Chief standing there with his arms crossed. "Yes, Sir. I need to continue my journey. Now is as good a time as any to leave." The Chief stared at me with unflinching eyes. His gaze then turned to my hands. "Those gauntlets have chosen a fine master. I hope that they serve you greatly in you quest." I looked at the gauntlets, and even brought up the right one to inspect it. "They are quite magnificent, aren't they? Still, they're also a bit inconvenient." This comment confused the Chief. "Their design is far too easy to recognize. I have no idea who or what would attack me for having the gauntlets of the Dark Lord. If only there was a way to camouflage them." Then, as if heeding my request, the gauntlets were surrounded by a black energy. I could feel them starting to morph. The cool steel was changing into something... softer. When the energy dissipated, the gauntlets were gone. In their place was a pair of pure black, leather gloves. They only covered my hands, but that's all they needed to protect anyway. I could still feel the original power of the gauntlets through the gloves. Plus, black leather gloves seemed to fit my image pretty well for some reason.

The War Chief looked a bit stunned for a moment before he gave a lite chuckle. "It seems the gauntlets have completely accepted you as their master. They even went so far as to accommodate your desires." I looked at the gloves intensely. Why did I feel so proud to be accepted as their master? Putting those questions aside, I asked the War Chief which of the Four Species was closest to the orcs. "That would be the imps, Sir Adelram. Though we orcs are known for our immense strength, the imps are known for their blinding speed. It is there that you'll most likely find the Black Wind Boots, the footwear of the Dark Lord. His speed was incredible. It was said that he could run and even walk on the seas and the skies as if they were of the earth. It's only fitting that the fastest creatures be their guardians." Indeed, it did. Still, the thought of being able to run or walk on water and through the sky. I could always do that with magic, but to do it without using up the precious power would be extremely helpful. Beats getting hungry while walking on the sea. "The imps don't live that far from us orcs. Even with a few obstacles in your way, it shouldn't take you more than a day to reach their territory."

"Well then, I guess we should leave right away."

I looked behind me to see Sharn walking towards us, fully clothed in traveler's clothing with her daggers at her side. "I'm quite curious about what your journey has in store for you Adelram. Also, it'd be a great way to become stronger by fighting something other than my fellow orcs and the local wildlife. Besides, I already told you, didn't I?" She walked up to me and placed an index finger underneath my chin. She tilted my head upward so I could have a better look at her golden eyes. "I had decided to make you mine. We orcs can be pretty stubborn, and I intend to take what is mine." I couldn't stop the blush coming onto my face. Sharn would be an invaluable ally, but she can also be quite a danger to my resilience as well. I'd have to keep my guard up around her. . . . Actually, that'd be great form of mental training. In the end, I could count more pros than cons.

While I was staring into Sharn's eyes, I felt my left arm rise instinctively and grab something out of the air. All three of us looked at what was held in my glove. It was an arrow. Not just any arrow, but a custom made one that was probably forged in the Eastern Plains. Given it's design, this arrow was shot from an area that was easily a two days walk from where we were. My reflexes are good, but not even they'd be able to sense an arrow traveling at that speed. That's when I realized that it was the gloves that moved, not me. It's like they had a life of their own, and they were protecting me. . . . I like these things. Still, there was only one person that I personally knew who could even come close to doing this. Angelica. She healed faster than I predicted. So she's already started her hunt for me, and it seems that she has gotten even stronger. Nice.

* * *

"Well, Master Shanoa?"

She was staring into the directing she shot her arrow. Her eyes were extremely sharp. She could see for miles and miles. When we had reached a certain area of this damned land, she was able to see the target. She estimated the distance was about two days, even with our speeds. However, she promised that her arrow would reach his skull in one minute. She readied her weapon and fired. After one full minute, her eyes widened in shock.

"Impossible." Master Shanoa's expression caused all of us worry. I was the first to ask what happened. She was hesitant, as if she couldn't grasp what she had seen. "Adelram... caught my arrow."

Now all of us were in shock. Master Grant was the first to speak. "You tellin' me that punk caught one of your arrows? YOUR arrows?! That's not fuckin' possible! I'm the fastest man in the world, and even I couldn't catch one a those damn things! No human can catch those!"

"Exactly." Master Shanoa's words caused a great silence among us. "There's no way a human, even one as skilled as Adelram, could catch an arrow of that speed. Even if he somehow raised his hand quick enough to grasp it, the speed would have ripped right out of his grasp and completely through his skull. The skill he showed... was not human."

It can't be. Could we have been to late? Is he already close? During my musings, Master Shanoa turned to my wife. "Master Sypha, I need you to look through my eyes. I think there's something you should see." Sypha complied with the request. Placing her hands at the sides of Master Shanoa's head, she started to concentrate until her eyes started to shine pure white. Master Shanoa looked in the direction toward where the target was located. Then, there was a look of fear on her face.

"My God."

"Sypha, what's the matter? What do you see?!" Sypha took her hands off of Master Sharn, and looked at me with fear and sadness in her eyes. "There was so much of it. It was completely surrounding his hands. So much Darkness. I've never felt such a force before. We've fought against some form of Darkness before, but that was something else. A whole other league. The fact that it was only coming from his hands could only mean one thing."

"He has found the first of the Dark Lord's armor. More than likely, the Dark Gauntlets." Dammit! We were too late. That one piece of the Dark Lord's power was enough to frighten my wife. Just how much of a threat will he become if he finds the rest? We need to kill him as soon as possible.

"Well, guess I should go ahead."

I looked at Master Grant. He was stretching, preparing for a long run ahead of him. I was about to persuade him to stop, but he spoke first. "Listen Trevor, we need to stop this punk ASAP. It sucks, but I'm the only one who can reach the little bastard. Sure, it'll still take me at least a day, but someone's gotta slow 'im down. Who else is better than the fastest man?"

He made some very valid points, but I still didn't feel comfortable leaving my friend to fight that fiend by himself.

"Be careful, Master Grant." I looked toward Master Shanoa, surprised at what she said. "Adelram has become exceedingly powerful. One wrong move could cost you your life."

It was true. Who knows what this creature is capable of now? But that still didn't deter Master Grant. Instead, he gave a lite chuckle. "Aw, I didn't know cared about me so much Shanny." She glared daggers at him. She always hated that nickname he gave her. "Listen, I'm no dumb-ass. If I think I can't at least slow him down, I come right back. I won't let this kid kill me, I promise." He seemed so confident. Even Master Shanoa seemed to have relaxed. That is until Master Grant did something unexpected, even for him. He stole a kiss from Master Shanoa. "For good luck. Later!" With that, he was gone, leaving behind a blushing Master Shanoa. Master Hammer and Master David were blushing at his boldness as well. My wife just giggled at the spectacle.

It took a while before Master Shanoa recovered from her initial shock. She gave one of her extremely rare smiles before she spoke. "I really do hate that man."

* * *

"Where the hell did that come from?" Sharn was studying the arrow with much intrigue. Guess this was the first time she saw an arrow outside of the Southern Plains. "A certain someone is hunting me. I didn't exactly receive any permissions or blessings to enter the Southern Plains." With that said, I broke the arrow in two and left it on the ground. Sharn and I gave our final farewell to the War Chief, he gave us both his blessings for a successful and eventful journey.

During our travel, we came across many different beasts. It was during on of those fights that Sharn discovered that I was a sorcerer. I never did use any form of magic during my time in the orc's territory. I was also able to show off my archery, swordsmanship, martial arts, and even my blacksmith skills to her as well. She seemed very impressed, especially when I crafted an extremely powerful long sword from the fangs of some of the monsters we had killed. I think I might have strengthened her desire for me by accident. That's gonna cause some trouble, especially if Angelica shows up sooner than I expected.

After a few hours of walking and killing, we finally decided to rest and enjoy the fruits of our labor. Sharn didn't even try to cook her meat. She just ate it raw. The blood was dripping off of her mouth in floods. It's weird how cute she looked with that. She asked me why I was wasting so much time cooking my meat instead of eating it then and there. "Human stomachs are not as durable as the stomach of a pure carnivore. Though we are omnivores, we still have limits of what we can and can't eat. Raw meat could cause us to fall ill, and even kill us due to the bacteria and parasites that reside in raw meat. We cook it to kill those unwanted pests. Plus, it brings out more of the flavor of the meat." Sharn literally cried bullshit. She believed that I was killing the flavors of the meat. To prove otherwise, I offered her the first of my cooked meats. Initially, she refused, but I was able to goad her into eating by asking her if she was afraid of a little bit of cooked flesh. She swiped the meat out of my hands and ripped a bite off. Then I saw what I was hoping for. A look of pure bliss. She gobbled her raw meat in less than a few seconds, but she actually slowly chewed the cooked meat to fully savor the taste. It was so strangely cute and funny that I couldn't help but chuckle. When she heard that, she blushed a bit and looked away. Our meal continued like this for a while. I'd cook certain meats, and we'd eat to our hearts content. She was quite surprised to find how delicious burnt Minotaur meat was. Of course, I made sure to avoid all of my failures and experiments. No way am I gonna let her eat that crap. Those were my sins to bare. You can't grow into a fine cook without experiencing a few failures. No cook was born a genius. They needed to experiment to see what goes best with what. No food is exactly the same, so it's absolutely idiotic to treat them as such. Besides, sometimes a cook who can make the most delicious foods in the world are also able to make the most horrendous as well. We both ate in silence, both enjoying the food I had prepared. I was even able to get Sharn to eat a few fruits, vegetables, and herbs during the meal. She ate it all with a smile, except for the Brussels sprouts. Can't say I blame her. No matter how you cook it, that vegetable will always taste like bitter crap.

After a while, Sharn broke the silence. "Hey, Adelram, why do you predominantly use you legs for your martial arts? Is there something wrong with your fists?" Huh, I didn't realize that. I guess I didn't want to fight with my fists ever since I got my gloves. I really should test them out, to see if the legends about them were true. The perfect guinea pig appeared. I don't know if it was attracted by our scent, our food, or our fire; but none of that mattered now. A stone-skinned troll was right before use.

Trolls are all brawn, no brain. They make orcs look like average sized humans in terms of size. A stone-skin was one of the toughest of them all. One of them almost killed me. I was only saved when a colossal steel-toothed diablo tiger attacked it from behind. Those tigers are one of the few things that can fight a stone-skinned troll head on and possibly win. I didn't stay to find out who won. The winner probably would have set it sights on me next.

The troll looked at both of us, scanning which would be the better meal. Sharn was analyzing it. She looked like she was looking for an escape route. So not even an orc can challenge those things. Looking for an escape route was a smart move. Challenging something many times more powerful than you but avoidable wasn't bravery. It's pure idiocy. A true warrior should known when to retreat so they can become stronger to challenge their obstacle another day. For me, that day was today.

I walked up to the beast, and looked it straight in the eye. I reared back my right arm, preparing to strike at the troll with all my strength. The troll lifted both of it's arms, preparing to smash me into the ground. I was faster. I shot my arm straight at the beasts stomach. According to Sharn, my glove returned back to it's original gauntlet form when I was concentrating. When my fist connected with it's target, there was an enormous boom. I didn't just kill the troll, I disintegrated it. Nothing was left of the beast, not even dust. It wasn't just the troll that experienced my new power. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing. No trees. No grass. No life, whatsoever. It was just smooth, barren earth. An absolutely perfect path created by one punch. I stared at my gauntlet, dumbfounded by the sheer scope of it's immense power. The gauntlet was smoking from the force of the punch, until it reverted back to it's glove form.

"Such incredible power. Is that why you only use your legs?" Sharn was staring at both my gloves and the path that I had created. "No. I actually have no excuse as to why I wasn't using my fists. However, I know that I won't being using a full power punch anytime soon. That kind of power should be a trump card."

With that said, I still practiced with my gloves. Turns out that my strength is at it's normal level when the gloves are on. With some concentration, they'll return to their gauntlet forms. Even when I don't charge up my punch, at hit from the gauntlets is still devastating, if the destroyed trees and boulders are anything to go by. During the practice session, I put my full concentration into my right gauntlet. After a while, it was being surrounded by a black aura, until it finally burst black flames. I couldn't feel the heat personally, but Sharn was actually sweating. Hell, the fire cooked a rare steak in literally a second. I tested how powerful the punch was on the same clearing as where I killed the troll. When I threw a punch, a pillar of black flames burst from my fist. The heat caused the dirt of the ground to become glass, which shimmered in the moon light. Whatever was alive in that clearing sure as hell wasn't anymore. The flames where so hot, that the trees didn't even ignite. They just had black burn marks from where the flames hit them. I tried to see if I could make both hands inflame at once, but that was way to taxing on my mind. Good thing I found a loophole. With my right hand still burning, I clapped both hands together. This caused both of them to be engulfed with the strangely mesmerizing black flames. Putting the flames out was a pretty simple task. I just had to clear my mind. A few deep inhales and exhales, and the flames where out. The gauntlets returned to their gloved form. I'm seriously falling in love with these things. They're amazing.

After our meal and my practice session with my new powers, Sharn and I continued our journey towards the imps' territory. It was fairly quite. I guess my powers scared off many of the local wildlife, including the predators. Then, we both sensed it. We were being watched. Not only that, but the creature was radiating absolute blood-lust. We were both on guard. While searching for the enemy, I sensed an attack from behind. I tackled Sharn out of the way, just in time to see a blade attached to a chain strike at just the right angle to rip Sharn's heart out.

"Impressive."

The voice sounded so young and seductive. I looked to where the attack originated from. Out of the shadows came a beautiful woman. Her hair was as dark as mine. It was cut short and styled in a way where it covered her right eye. Her visible left eye was as blue as the midnight sky, with an ethereal glow to it. Her skin was so white, that it practically reflected the light of the full moon, giving her a mystical glow. She was wearing black lipstick, which made her look just as seductive as her voice. On her left arm was the same blade that attacked me and Sharn. The rest of her clothing left... little to the imagination. Her "clothes" were red leather articles that only covered her breasts, parts of her arms, parts of her legs, and her... "reproductive" area. Her chest was barely being covered. She was so well endowed that it was surprising that they didn't just pop out. Still, even with all this beauty, I couldn't help but feel a dark energy flow from her. It felt so familiar.

"You have quite some skill, child. You will make a delectable dinner. My Children! Take the orcess for yourself! The boy is mine!" When she said that, a humanoid creature with bat-like wings on it's back tackled Sharn into the darkness of the forest, followed by many other similar creatures.

"SHARN!" I tried to go help her, but ended up jumping out of the way of the woman's attack. "I wouldn't worry about her, young man. I am the one you should give your full attention to." She was right. This woman had skill. I had to be on my guard, and beat her as soon as possible to be able to help Sharn.

The woman took a deep breath, and seemed to shudder in excitement. "Oh, what a delicious smell. You blood is quite intoxicating. It will truly satisfy my apatite." My blood? Wait, things were starting to make sense. Her creatures. Her thirst for my blood. Her dark beauty. Then I finally recognized her aura. It was the same as my gauntlets. "You're a vampire."

The vampire giggled, as if she was pleased that I knew that. "My, what an intelligent child. Yes, boy. I am a vampire. A queen of the night, and a true child of the darkness."

Vampires. Legendary even among monsters. The highest ranking of all vampires are said to be the apex predators of the Southern Plains, barely being rivaled by any other creature. That's when I remembered one of the few facts known about the Dark Lord. Among his Six Dark Generals, there were three Vampires. The strongest of all three was Olrox Erebus. His younger brother, Brauner Erebus, was said to be one of the few beings strong enough to challenge his older brother's strength. The final vampire was...

"You. You're her." The vampire's eye looked at me with confusion, wondering what I was about to say. "You're Carmilla Maura."

Her eye widened a tiny bit. She seemed surprised that I knew who she was. She them let out a small, albeit cute, giggle. "It seems I have underestimated your brilliance, human. Has my name soared so highly that even you feeble dolls know who I am?" She looked so proud of herself. Still, I was quite surprised. It has been one hundred years. Vampire or not, I hadn't expected one of the Dark Generals to looks so young and... beautiful.

"Lady Carmilla, I am Adelram Umbra. I must ask for your assistance."

She couldn't help but chuckle while she tried to speak. "My assistance?"

"Yes. Please, m'lady, grant me all of your knowledge pertaining the Dark Lord."

Her eye shined. She looked rather pleased for some reason. "You wish to know about my Lord? And why do you wish to gain such knowledge? Do you plan to resurrect his Dark Majesty?"

"Huh? Why would I want to do that?" Her eye then widened with shock. She them glared at me with an expression that demanded answers. With a deep sigh, I answered her unspoken question. "All I want is to know more about him. Who he was, what his ambitions were, what kind of man he was, and the details of his demise. His entire past is shrouded in mystery, and I plan on uncovering it. I've already gained the first key to that locked chapter of history." To emphasize this point, I raised my left hand and willed it to return to it's original gantlet form. Carmilla's eye shot wide open with absolute shock. "By obtaining his gauntlets, I was shown a small glimpse of his past. Maybe if I collect the rest of his armor, I could be shown more. Yet, if you're able to give me any more insight in his past, I humbly request that you bestow upon me this invaluable information."

Carmilla hadn't said a word. Her eye was completely shadowed, making it impossible to read her expression. "Such insolence." Her voice was filled to the brim with rage. She then glared at me with absolute hatred and wrath. "How dare you? The powers of the night belong to us, boy! It is not for mere humans like you TO TRIFLE WITH!" With that last roar of rage, she threw her chained blade into the sky. She imbued it with her energy. It was glowing bloody red and pitch black. She then swung her arm downward, bringing the dark weapon along with it.

Even if I had dodged, the shock-wave would have sent me flying through all manner of things. It could even kill me. To prevent that, I used the flight spell to avoid the attack. I was high enough to see the forest below before the attack landed. The impact of the weapon caused trees and boulders to fly toward me. After dodging the debris, I could still fell the vibration from the impact of the attack. No way I could have survived that had it hit. Even if I had rolled or jumped out of the way, the sheer pressure would have crushed me like a grape underneath a stone troll's foot.

When the dust settled, Carmilla was nowhere to be seen. I couldn't sense her at all. Then I felt it. A horrifying amount of pressure was placed onto the right side of my chest. I could feel my ribs shattering from the strike. I looked fast enough to see Carmilla kicking me with a rage filled strike. It sent me hurtling towards the ground. The impact caused a massive explosion that caused me to skip across the ground like smooth stone across a calm lake. I was able to regain my balance enough to skid across the ground by smashing my fingers into the ground, using my left leg as a crutch to catch my breath. Before I could recover, I sensed Carmilla's next attack. I was able to jump back fast enough to avoid a blade through my skull.

Carmilla stood before me. She was analyzing me, as if she was expecting me to make one fatal mistake. So this is a vampire. The stories about them have done them no justice. Carmilla's strength, her power, her blood-lust; it was all so... terrifying. To think that there were creatures this powerful in the world, and she's not even the strongest of the Dark Generals. In fact, of all three of the vampires, she's supposed to be the least powerful. I couldn't believe it. All those years of training, all of my weapons, my skills, my spells, and yet none of them would even increase my chance of victory by one percent. I could tell that this woman was basically using brute force to fight me. She wasn't using any of her vampiric powers. She wasn't serious in the least, just angry. I don't even have so much as a ten percent chance of beating her. I... can't beat this woman with my power.

That's when I remembered. I have more than just _my_ power. I looked at my gloves and started to concentrate. I willed them both to return to their gauntlet forms. This act only seemed to increase Carmilla's rage. "You insignificant little bastard! HOW DARE YOU USE HIS MAJESTY'S POWER!?" Her power seemed to flood right out of her. It was even crawling onto the ground, surrounding her in a pool of darkness. That's when something amazing happened. The darkness started flowing toward my gauntlets. They were absorbing it. Carmilla noticed this as well, and jumped away. It was to late. The darkness fueled the gauntlets enough for them to both burst into flames. Then, a name appeared in my mind. It was as if the gauntlets themselves were telling me what the have become.

"Ignis Infernum Gauntlets!"

Carmilla's gaze went from rage to fear. I was wielding the legendary strength of the Dark Lord himself. I did not waste this opportunity. With a burst of speed, I ran towards Carmilla and tried to punch her. She was able to dodge the full strike, but the flame from the gauntlets caused an amazing reaction. A huge explosion engulfed the area, burning her along with anything before me. It only wounded her right arm, but you could see the pain in her eyes. I wouldn't show mercy. I was preparing to punch her right in her heart, but she used her sword as a shield. The explosion sent her flying into the forest. As powerful as that strike was, I knew it wasn't enough to kill her. Not even close. I chased after her to finish the job. When I got to a certain area, I saw a crater plume with a great cloud of dust and smoke. She had to have landed here.

I noticed something else. Sharn was there as well. She... didn't look very pleased. "What?" She walked over towards me and punched the top of my head. It hurt like a hammer. "That's for ruining my fight. You sent your opponent crashing into mine. IT WAS THE LAST ONE!"

I was about to voice an apology when I sensed an aura climbing out of the crater. "You... despicable little cockroach." That was Carmilla's voice, but all seduction and joy was gone. All that was there in the voice was unbridled rage and fury. When she walked out, she looked horrible. She was covered with cuts, bruises, and burn marks. Parts of her body were still burning until she put them out with just a swing of her hand. Parts of her skin were burned off, showing her muscle and pieces of her bones. Her once beautiful face was covered in blood, with a large cut on her left cheek that showed her teeth. She looked like a corpse. "How dare you? . . . HOW DARE YOU?! Using his power. You are not worthy of his strength!"

I was dumbfounded by what I was seeing. Those wounds should be enough to kill anything. I used a lesser form of that punch to disintegrate a stone-skinned troll. How the hell is she still alive, let alone standing and yelling at me? Even Sharn looked shocked at what she saw.

Then we noticed something. She was holding something in her left hand. It was that same creature that attacked Sharn. So that's what she meant. It was still alive, but only barely. It's breathing seemed labored. Then, Carmilla did something horrifying. She brought the creature to her mouth, and plunged her fangs into the dying creature. It screamed our horrifying cry of agony as it's master drained it completely of it's blood. All that was left was a husk. A mummy. Sharn and I stared horrified at what she had done. That thing was her ally, wasn't it? How could she do something so cruel? Then, I had gotten my answer.

Carmilla's wounds healed completely. Her scars, her burns, her cuts; all the damage I had inflicted completely disappeared after she had drank the blood of the creature. When she had returned to her original, beautiful state, she glared at me, and started walking back into the darkness of the forest. "You have made a very foolish mistake, Adelram Umbra. Your name could have been sung in the music of the night for returning our Lord back to us. The next time we meet, we shall not part ways until maggots feast upon your flesh." And with that, she was gone.

Sharn and I were still staring at the sight. She was the first to speak. "So, that was a high-breed vampire. . . . I never knew I could feel such fear from anyone. Not even my father placed such a feeling into my heart." Sharn had placed a hand over her heart in a sort of act to calm herself. I never thought I'd see her be afraid of anything. I gave a deep sigh before I spoke again. "That was just one of the Generals. Imagine what the other two are capable of. This journey has gotten a bit more difficult." Sharn just looked at me. I didn't know what she was thinking, until she smiled at me. "Then that just means it got a bit more fun." I couldn't help but widen my eyes in shock. "It'll take more than a single vampire to take us down. No matter what comes our way, we will always emerge victorious. We're partners, aren't we?" I couldn't help but just stare at her, mesmerized by her incredible amount of confidence. I then chuckled a bit, and gave my agreement. It doesn't matter what comes our way. Monsters, demons, Dark Generals; bring them all on. We will win, and I will complete my journey; no matter what.

 **A/N: And there you have it. The first Dark General has made her appearance, and she is NOT happy. So, what did you guys think of her? In fact, what did you think of Adelram's new powers? I'm actually curious about how meat cooked with black flames would taste like. . . . Is anyone else hungry? It's almost lunch-time while I'm typing this, and talking about food being cooked by black fire is making me even hungrier. Oh! I almost forgot to write this part. I gotta show you what happened to Sharn. This is what she went through while Adelram was fighting Carmilla.**

I was separated with Adelram by a flying creature. It was less than a second when Adelram left my sight, but I wasn't about to let this creature take me any further. I took out both of my daggers and plunged them into the side of the creatures head. It died with one final screech of pain. I easily landed on my feet while the corpse skidded across the ground, still lodged onto my blades.

Using the daggers to lift it, I analyzed the creature's body. It was quite unsightly. In terms of size, it was no larger than Adelram himself. That was the only similarity the two shared. It's face greatly resembled that of a vampire bat. It's flesh was deathly white, with red spots that were obviously the blood of it's victims. The wings on it's back were as large as it's body. That was probably why it was so fast. The incisors of the beast looked as sharp as my daggers. I'm willing to bet that even a stone-skin troll's hide would be easily pierced by these teeth. Was this one of those legendary monsters of the Southern Plains? Was this a vampire?

As I was studying the beast, I sensed more of the same creatures heading towards me. They all surrounded me, one in each direction, snarling at me like feral beasts. It seems they were trying to corner me to prevent any form of escape. There were eight of them in all. Pretty bad odds. It would have been better... if they had at least twice that number.

I took my position, and analyzed my foes. They were riddled with holes in their defenses. These creatures were no different from wild boars or velociprey. No planning whatsoever. Just surround and attack.

I waited for them to attack. One of them did just that. A vampire from behind me charged at my back, only to receive a heel-drop to the skull. The impact caused it to bounce up high enough for me to flip-kick it into the air and kick it into another vampire. The rest took this as a sign to swarm me.

It was actually kinda fun to fight these creatures. I was even able to lodge one of my daggers so far up it's lower jaw, that the tip of the blade pierced through it's cranium. When another charged at me, I slight it's throat. The others seemed to jump back. It seems they can adapt.

One of the beasts took flight, and tried to attack me from the sky. It's moves were easily predictable. When I saw a chance, I jumped onto it's back. As it flew, I was trying to maneuver it into a tree branch. It was successful. The tree branch went down the vampires throat and went straight through it's anus. The creature was flailing about before it finally died, impaled onto a tree branch.

I was able to jump onto the back of another vampire, but it wasn't about to let me manipulate it. To try to prevent that, it flew straight into the moonlit sky. The view would have been beautiful if I weren't fighting for my life. It started to dive head first towards the ground. I guess it was planning on smashing me into the ground. I was still going to use this to my advantage. I covered the vampires eyes and lifted it's head upwards. It still dived toward the ground, but it had no idea I was aiming to smash it's neck onto a pile of rocks. Before reaching the ground, I jumped off the monster. There was a loud thud and a sickening crack. I looked at the vampire. It's neck was completely snapped. However, it still got up and readjusted it's head. Guess that shows just how tough a vampire is, but I'm not about to let it continue fighting. Before it could do anything, I rushed towards the vampire and grabbed the base of it's head. With my strength, I completely ripped the head off of the weakened neck. It's corpse fell on the ground, now being surrounded by a pool of it's own blood.

There was still one more vampire in the sky. I was able to use the trees to jump onto it's back. It tried to shake me off and claw at me. I got a few scratches, but none of them were to deep. As the vampire was trying it's best to throw me off, I grabbed the base of it's wings. With my foot in the middle of the wings, I completely ripped them off of it's back. We both fell on the ground, but I landed on my feet while the vampire landed on it's back. It was writhing in pain from what I had done. It then looked at me with blood thirsty eyes. To bad that was an opportunity for me. With the wings still in my hands, I used the bones of the wings to gouge out it's eyes. It was screaming bloody murder before it fell onto it's back, dying with it's wings lodged into it's eye-sockets.

Five down, three to go. I looked at the final three, who were not air born at all. They both gave glances at one another, before they all simultaneously broke their wings, making them fall limply at their backs. They had just robbed themselves of their ability to fly just to fight me. These vampires were true warriors.

The first vampire charged at me, trying to use it's claws to rip me to shreds. These strikes were calculated and precise, leaving no room for openings. They really do adapt quickly. I tried to use my daggers to slash at the beast, but it used it's claws to parry my attack. Such strength and power. These last vampires were worthy foes. During our clash, I caught a glimpse of something. Blood. The creature was bleeding. Analyzing the body, I saw that there was a small cut on the wrist of the vampire. It's claws may be strong, but it's flesh was as weak as any other creature. Using this knowledge, I slashed at the arms of the vampire instead of it's claws. It was already too late for it to notice. I had cut enough muscle to make the arms virtually useless before I plunged my dagger into the right side of it's abdomen. With a mighty slash, I had cut completely across the vampire's abdomen. My back was turned toward it, but I still heard the sound of it's organs falling out of it's body and onto the ground. Then, I heard one more loud thud, as the now dead warrior fell to the ground.

The two vampires just stared at me, until one of them charged at me. It also used it's claws, but it did something else. It tried to land a roundhouse kick to my left temple. I was able to block it, and used this chance to analyze it's leg. It's foot also had claws. There was even a claw on the monster's heel. Had that attack landed, it would have been fatal. It continued fighting with a barrage of slashes and kicks. They were all very strong, and extremely difficult to defend against. The vampire even jumped behind, and plunged it's claws into my right side and ripped them out. The pain was excruciating. It would most certainly leave a scar. The vampire continued it's assault. It was quite a difficult battle, until I saw an advantage. It's useless wing was flapping around like a cape. When it tried to use a second roundhouse, I ducked underneath the kick and grabbed the wing. With a burst of strength, I swung the vampire around until I had reached a desired velocity. When that happened, I released the vampire and watched it collide into the base of a tree. While it was dazed, I threw one of my daggers into it's heart. It gave off a death rattle before it's body slumped, with only my dagger keeping it standing.

When I retrieved my dagger, I stared intently into the eyes of the final vampire, it's arms crossed over it's chest. I heard a series of explosions in what I could guarantee was the direction of Adelram, but that held no importance at this time. The only thing important right now was this mighty warrior in front of me. A few moments passed before the vampire did anything. It's first action was removing it's wings entirely. It turned it's back towards me to emphasize this. It's now bare back was bleeding profusely from the holes of where it's wings once were. It didn't seem bothered. Instead, it walked toward one of it's deceased comrades. Gently, it used it's claws to cut into the wrist of the corpse and drank it's blood. As it did this, the wounds on it's back healed completely. When it was done, it turned toward me. It shocked me again by destroying it's two weapons. With it's fangs, it completely chewed off it's extremely sharp claws and then used it's fist to destroy it's fangs. It was now completely defenseless.

I couldn't help but stare in awe. I looked down at my daggers... and sheathed them. There was only one way the vampire could fight me in it's current state. With pure brute force. I had only lost to two people in this category, my father and Adelram. I was not about to dishonor this warrior by relying on blades instead of my strength, nor was I about to let it best me in something I take pride in.

After a few moments of staring at one another, we charged at one another. Our fists clashed, causing a shock-wave that caused many of the corpses to fly into the darkness of the forest. Our fight continued with nothing but our fists. Our strengths were nearly even, but I could feel my victory coming ever closer. With one fateful punch, I sent the mighty creature skidding across the field while it was still standing. Blood started to drip from the vampire's nose and mouth.

I looked at the creature, preparing for another round of combat. Before it could take it's stance, an incredibly loud explosion was heard. Then, in the blink of an eye, my opponent was struck by a flying object that lodged it into a smoking crater that held the scent of fire.

My fight was interrupted. Before I could process anything else, Adelram came running into the clearing. It didn't take me long to figure out that he was the one who caused the explosion and the flying projectile that interrupted my fight. I glared daggers at the fool.

"What?"

 **A/N: And that's what Sharn was doing during Adelram and Carmilla's fight. So, which one did you like more? Speaking of liking, one of my precious reviewers tried to rip me apart for making a lemon with Adelram and Sharn. She failed, obviously (like a little panda can kill a mighty dragon). She told me her reason was because she was "#teamAngelica". My initial reaction was, "WHAT THE FUCK!? THIS AIN'T FUCKING TWILIGHT! At least let me make the other characters before you start that shipping shit!" This story isn't even a fucking month old, and it already has ships. Then, that got me thinking. I asked dead . but . true if he had favorites. His top three were (in order) Frokz, Adelram, and a tie between Angelica and Sharn. So, I gotta know, do you guys have a favorite already? Tell me who and, for shits and giggles, who you'd rather have Adelram end up with: Angelica or Sharn. It won't influence the story at all, but it'd still be fun to know. Seriously, making shipments now is like shipping Luffy with Nami before Vivi, Robin, or Hancock showed up. If you don't get this reference, then I pity you. Also, I will seriously laugh if anyone, ANYONE, seriously says that Adelram should be with Carmilla. I'd laugh my ass off while thinking, "What the fuck?! Is this guy a masochist or something?!" Until next time. Remember: favorite fight in this chapter, favorite characters from one to three, and who you'd want Adelram to end up with.**


	9. Chapter 7

I've made myself a new sword! After that fight with Carmilla, a steel-toothed diablo tiger attacked us. Turns out that fight with Carmilla drained me quite a bit. I couldn't use the gauntlets full power. I still had my long sword, and Sharn helped me quite a bit. It took us a while, but with a good number of slashes from our respective weapons and punches from my gauntlets, we finally killed the mighty beast. I used it's fangs and claws to strengthen my long sword. The blade was now strong enough to cut through boulders and trees as if they were made of air. Even Sharn was impressed with the sword's power. I still had a lot of material left from the tiger's corpse, so I used the rest to upgrade her daggers. They were sharp enough to slip through stone as if they were a sheath. I turned the tiger's pelt into a new cloak. It was pretty soft for something so strong. As for the meat, we ate it happily. It was so damn delicious! Possibly the tastiest creature either of us have had so far.

We haven't been attacked by anything since then. I'm pretty sure that the both of us were pretty bored by now. Then, Sharn started to light up. "Finally. You should probably raise your guard now, Adelram. We are now, officially, in the territory of the imps."

I was glad to know we were finally in their territory, but why did she tell me to raise my guard? Were the imps really that fearsome in combat? I suppose they could use their speed in assassinations and quick kills. They could also chip away at your body with quick slashes to vital areas.

As I was contemplating on the variety of ways they could use their supposed blinding speed against us, I could feel the cold breeze against my skin... Against my chest. That... can't be right. The only area I should be feeling the breeze should be my face. I was wearing the same long pants I wore at the beginning of my journey, khaki combat boots, my gloves, and a spare, long-sleeved shirt from my inventory. I shouldn't be feeling the wind on my chest, so why was I? When I looked down, I got my answer. I was bare-chested. My shirt was gone.

I turned toward Sharn to ask if she knew what had happened, only to open my jaw in shocked surprise, with my face turning a deep shade of red. Sharn's shirt was taken as well... and she never wears a bra. She was wondering what I was looking at before she looked down. Her only response was saying, "oh, my." She didn't even try to cover herself up. I guess orcs don't have nearly the same amount of shame as humans do. I grabbed the tiger pelt out of my storage dimension and threw it on her. She didn't seem to mind, but she did have a strange look on her. Her eyes looked a bit hungry and... lustful? She even licked her lips hungrily. I guess she was looking at my chest or something. I followed her gaze to see what she was staring at. . . . . . . MY PANTS WERE GONE! MY PENIS WAS JUST HANGING THERE, SWINGING AROUND FOR ALL TO SEE! I placed my hands over my member and crossed my legs. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"

When I yelled that, something happened. I didn't sense anything, but I felt something tug against my left glove. Before the feeling could disappear, I grabbed whatever was pulling at me and lifted it to my face. I was holding something by it's hand. It was a small creature, even smaller than Frokz. It's skin was as red as a sunburn, had ears almost as long as my forearm, and red eyes. It's eyes didn't look evil at all, just mischievous. In some ways, it looked a little cute, even with that whip-long tail. However, that wasn't about to save it from my wrath. It gave a sheepish chuckle as it raised it's shaking hand. "Y-yo."

The voice was obviously male. I threw the imp into the air, making sure that it was nowhere near so much as a leaf. As it was screaming, I quickly grabbed a set of clothes out of my inventory and changed into them before I caught him again. I wasn't about to have a conversation with this creature while naked. "Who are you, and where are my clothes?" I was holding the imp by it's tail. He looked like he was about to throw up. He groaned before he spoke with a somewhat high voice. "Name's Nabenon. Your stuff is up that tree." He pointed toward a hole in a tall tree. With him still in my grip, I jumped toward the tree, much to the surprised screaming of Nabenon. He was telling the truth. All of my clothes and Sharn's shirt was there. I placed them all in my inventory, and jumped right back down. Nabenon didn't like the return trip either. "Why did you try to steal from us?" Nabenon had to regain his bearings before he could speak again. "Look. I'm an imp. We like to steal. I've stolen from every species known to the entire Southern Plains. Hell, I've even tried my hand at stealing from the outside world. And let me tell you, with all that light to make you easy to spot, that's no easy thing to do. You're the only blemish on my otherwise perfect record big guy." That was some useful information. This guy has a record that he takes pride in, and I can use that to my advantage.

"How about a little game, Nabenon? I'll let you try to take my gloves. I won't move an inch. You can take as much time as you want to try and take them. However, should you give up at all, you'll have to help me in any way I want. Deal?" Nabenon didn't hesitate. He agreed without even thinking about the consequences and started yanking at my left glove. You could tell that he was really struggling. He tried to use everything. From brute force to trying to pry it off my hand with a stick. After a while, he looked at my glove and ran towards the direction of my back. I looked toward where he ran off to see a small dust cloud coming toward me. Then, I looked down at my glove fast enough to see Nabenon fall onto his back, still gripping my glove. "Alright. I give up. What's with these gloves? Are they enchanted or what?" I couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "You... might say that." To prove my point, I transformed my glove into it's gauntlet form. This surprised Nabenon to the point where he actually jumped from where he was lying down.

"T-T-T-T-T-T-T-THAT'S THE DARK LORD'S GAUNTLET!"

"Oh, so you know about them?" Nabenon looked at me like I was insane. "How could I not?! Everyone knows what the Lord's armor looks like! How'd you get those?!" It didn't seem too hard to answer that. "It was given to me by the Orc War Chief himself. He deemed me worthy of being their new master. Since you know about the gauntlets, I'm guessing you know about the boots. Would you be so kind as to give them to me?" The initial shock had left him after I had finished speaking. He crossed his arms and gave me a stern look before he asked why he should do such a thing. It took me a while to think of a reasonable answer. Then, I remembered something very important about him. "Nabenon, you take great pride in your speed, correct?" His eyes grew wide with pride as he puffed out his chest. "Of course I do! I am the Imp King, after all." He's the what?! He must have noticed my surprised expression, since he started to explain himself. "The Imp King is a title given to the fastest among us. I've never once lost in a race to anyone, nor have I ever been caught by a-... nearly anyone." He gave me a bit of a stink eye before he finished speaking, but I got the gist of what he was saying. His speed was unparalleled. That's what I needed to know. "What if I had the power to challenge you?" He raised his eyebrow in confusion. "The Dark Lord was said to be the fastest being alive. This was thanks to his Black Wind Boots. You probably don't have anyone to really challenge you, but I could give even you a run for your money with the power of those boots. Wouldn't you like to go all out, at least once?"

Nabenon seemed to have been contemplating on my words. He finally gave in and agreed to take me and Sharn into his village. It was quite the sight. Everything looked so... small. It was like I was a giant. Must be even more awkward for Sharn. All the imps seemed to be enjoying their lives. Men and women were laughing and speaking in a non-aggressive manner. Children were running around, playing with one another. They looked like blurs half of the time, since they were running so quickly. So their that fast at such a young age. In many ways, the imps were the exact opposite of the orcs. Hell, I was able to easily distinct between male and female. The males looked like cute little red devils, while the females were just plain adorable. They looked like those little girls in the village who always treated me like I was their older brother. As we walked by, many of the unoccupied imps gave a small bow towards Nabenon. I guess he really was the king. He led us to the largest building in the small village. The doorway was large enough for me to enter, though I had to bend down to do it. Sharn, on the other hand, had to wait outside. She wouldn't be able to fit. She didn't complain, though. She was kept preoccupied by entertaining the curious children. They really seemed to enjoy having her lift them up in the air, if the laughs were anything to go by.

As soon as I went inside, I saw the boots. They were just placed in the center of the building on top of a pedestal. I picked up one of the boots to inspect the design. They were as black as my gloves. They had many different designs. On the sides, they had the shape of wings. On the front was a patter that resembled a traveling wind. On the back was a design that resembled a wave of water. It must have symbolized the powers of the boots. To run as if you have wings on your legs, to be able to stand on the winds, and walk on the seas. I took both of the boots outside, feeling like it would be a disaster to wear them in the building. Once in the open air, I removed my old boots and sent them to my storage zone. Something tells me I'll never wear those ever again.

I slipped into the boots, literally. The boots were two sizes to big for me. Made me wonder if the Dark Lord was some giant of a man. Then, just like with the gauntlets, the boots adjusted to my size and burned themselves onto my flesh. I had the insight to make sure my pants were not in the way. I didn't want any fabric to be burned onto my skin. Then, I saw the memories of the boots. Walking through a castle corridor. Standing in the middle of a moon lit lake. Standing in the sky, while looking down at the Southern Plains. Running through fields of corpses or dying soldiers. Then the memories stopped. Unlike last time, I didn't lose consciousness. I was still out of breath. It didn't take long for me to recover, though.

"Huh, they suit you." I looked behind me to see Nabenon looking at my legs, the boots glowing with a dark energy. "Well, time for you to keep up your end of the bargain. See that mountain over there?" I looked toward the direction he was pointing at. There was an incredibly tall mountain. It would have taken at least two or three days to reach it on foot. "That mountain is the finishing line. You and I are gonna race to it." I guess I should have seen that coming. An imp could probably reach that mountain in thirty minutes, maybe even less. Nabenon lead me to the edge of the village, where we would begin our race.

"Well, lets get this race underway. Ready!" He got into a running position. I followed suit and got into my own position. I was waiting for him to continue, until I looked into his eyes. I knew that he wanted me to continue for him.

"Set!" When I said that, I started to concentrate all of my energy into my legs. I could hear the earth smashing underneath me. I'm strong, but that was a new level of power for me. I could even see the dark energy flowing out of my boots. We were both prepared to run like hell.

Then, in unison, we said the long awaited word. "GO!"

Everything went in slow motion for me. I was running past so many different things. Tree branches, raised roots, wild animals, plant life, and rocks. The wind felt so good. So soothing. "Wow, you really are fast!" I looked to my left to see Nabenon. His legs were visible to me. Since I was taller, I didn't need to take as many running steps as he did, but I was still able to see every one he took. "No one's ever been able to keep up with me! Let's see how long it lasts!" He then gained a bit of a head start. He wasn't very far from me, but I still wanted to give him a race to remember.

It didn't take very long for use to be neck-n-neck. It felt like I wasn't even tapping into half of the boots full power, but that didn't matter to me. I just wanted to run, and experience this amazing feeling as long as possible. I then saw a giant boar walk onto our path. I looked at Nabenon to see if he would slow down, but he just kept running. In fact, it looked as if he was actually increasing his speed. He even had a challenging look in his eye. I followed his example, and increased my own speed. Next thing I knew, the boar was gone. I looked behind me to see what had happened. It looked like it was happening in slow motion to me. The boar exploded. There was a shower of blood and organs flying everywhere. I even got to catch a glimpse of one of it's eye balls flying into a tree branch. This speed was amazing!

I saw the finish line. The base of the mountain was coming in fast. I needed to increase my speed. I willed myself to go faster. Faster. Faster! FASTER! I had shut my eyes before I had even realized it. When I opened them again, I saw the night sky. Confused, I looked behind me. I saw the tip of the mountain, along with Nabenon just arriving at it's base. He looked up into the sky quick enough to see me, his jaw hanging loosely with a dumbfounded expression. I had beaten him!

Still, my victory was the last thing on my mind. I WAS RUNNING IN THE SKY! I wasn't using magic! I was literally running on air! It felt so good! Like I had absolute freedom. Then I just stopped, and allowed myself to free fall. The feeling of the rushing air felt exhilarating. Before I reached the apex of the mountain, I kicked the air to continue "flying". I flew straight towards the village in less than a minute. I could see Sharn still playing with the children, swinging them on her arms as if she were a swing set. She and the kids were laughing with so much joy. Before anyone could notice me, I went back to the mountain. I was enjoying this feeling so much, that I couldn't help but release a joyful shout. "WHOOOHOOOOOO!" It felt amazing! I can't find any other way to describe it! It felt like absolute freedom! When I reached the mountain, I couldn't help but just stand in the sky. I was literally standing in the sky! I looked up to see the beautiful full moon. With an urge as powerful as my previous shout, I couldn't help but howl at the moon like a wolf. As I did that, I slowly descended toward the ground.

As I reached the ground, I gave one more howl. "That was you?" I looked at Nabenon, who had a confused look on his face. "I'm sorry, my friend, but I just had an urge to just howl at the moon. Try it. It feels amazing!" I howled again to prove my point. He looked skeptical at first, but tried it anyway. He seemed to enjoy it, as he soon agreed that it felt so good to howl like a wolf. As we were both prepared to release another howl, we were interrupted... by the howls of an actual wolf.

Out of the shadows of the forest... came an anthropomorphic wolf. It was such a powerful looking creature, with gray fur, glowing yellow eyes, and razor sharp fangs. Then, many other creatures just like it came out. Some were far larger than others. We were surrounded by the beasts. "No way. They actually exist." I looked at Nabenon, wondering if he was going to say what I thought he would. "Werewolves."

Werewolves. One of the only predators with the power to challenge vampires. If the vampires were legends for their strength, then the werewolves were legends for their speed. It's said that the light of the moon gives them their power. Since the Southern Plains are constantly bathed in the light of the full moon, the werewolves would always be at their most powerful. Their speed should be impossible to follow, even for an imp. If that wasn't enough, their claws and fangs are said to be sharp and strong enough to cut through anything. They are also known for traveling in pacts, and are extremely skilled in group kills. They are known as the ultimate team of hunters.

What luck. I have the chance to test out my new speed to it's fullest. "Nabenon, when you see an opening, I want you to run as fast as you can away from here." He looked at me like I asked him to commit suicide. "Are you insane?! Werewolves are the fastest creatures alive! Even the lower breed ones are faster than me! I can't escape from those beasts!"

"Don't worry. They'll be far to busy trying to kill me to go after you." To prove this, I practically teleported in front of a werewolf in front of me. Jumping into the air, I planted both of my feet into the creature's jaw. I couldn't feel the skull being crushed by the force of my kick. I sprung off of the creature's face and landed at my original position, while the wolf was sent flying into a tree. It's jaw was hanging limply from it's now shattered skull. It was obviously dead.

After seeing that, all of the werewolves glared at me with absolute blood-lust and furry. I noticed that not a single one of them had their gaze on Nabenon. They wanted my blood. Many charged at me, growling and snarling at me. One of them tried to attack my right side. I kicked it away before it even reached me. I gave roundhouse to one that was leaping toward me. Two of them tried to flank me at both sides. With my left leg and right fist, I sent them flying. One tried to attack me from behind. A good back kick sent it crashing into the mountain.

The fight continued like this for a good while. I hadn't realized it, but I had instinctively drawn my new sword during the battle. I was able to cut through two of the beasts at the same time. When one jumped into the air, I slashed it completely in half. One of the beasts was even cut from their left shoulder down to their right hip. It unfortunately didn't die instantly, so I watched as a torso with only a right arm and head was riling in pain. Creepy, but this was a fight. There was no room for mercy.

I don't know how many werewolves I had killed. There was so many, but I was so full of energy. I could keep up with their movements perfectly. I was once again encircled by the pack, preparing to slice more of them. Before one of them could attack, a howl was heard. It was so loud, and sounded so powerful. The wolves backed away from me. I looked around. Nabenon was fortunately nowhere to be seen, and I could still sense him running toward his village. However, what confused me was that the wolves haven't made a move. Then, out of the shadows, came another wolf. He wasn't exactly the largest of them all, but he had an aura to him. It radiated strength and leadership. He looked around, studying the carnage I had created. "My siblings." He could speak? It was so deep. It had a guttural, growl to it. "My brothers and sisters. So much lycaon blood, spilt." He looked at me, eyes filled with rage. "You have the scent that began our hunt. I now know that it was you who we have come to slay. So much of my family's blood is on your hands. I will NOT LET YOU LIVE!"

He charged at me. He was beyond fast. I could barely follow his movements. Our weapons clashed, his claws against my sword. The battle was more of speed than power. Parrying his attacks was a tasking challenge. When I thought I saw a chance, I tried to slash kick him. He was able to dodge by jumping high into the air. However, something amazing happened. Apparently, my kick was so powerful, it created a blade of wind. The force cut everything in front of me in half. The trees, the rocks, the werewolves; everything in front of me was cut.

When the werewolf saw this, his eyes widened in... fear? "No. Not that power. It can't be him. Anyone BUT him." He looked at me. His eyes seemed to widen even further when he saw my boots. "No. No. No! No! No! NO!" He charged at me with even greater speed and ferocity. It took all of my speed and instincts to block his claws. "I WON'T LET YOU THREATEN MY FAMILY AGAIN! I WON'T JOIN YOUR ACCURSED LOT AGAIN!"

Again? . . . No way. It can't be. "Are you Cornell?"

When I said his name, his eyes widened even more. Then, they turned blood red. Completely red. I couldn't even see his pupils. It was just pure red. His claws seemed to have grown, and his power seemed to increase. With a mighty roar, his slashed pushed me away, scarring the earth around us. He started attacking me with so much beastial fury. It was obvious that I wasn't going to get any information about the Dark Lord from him. At least I learned one thing, Cornell absolutely hated him.

The fight was brutal. He slashed me so many times. Many of those strikes would have been fatal had I let my guard down for even a millisecond. I needed to end this fight immediately. When I had the chance, I started to concentrate. Putting all of my power into my next swing, I charged at Cornell. His claws, which were now glowing as brightly as his eyes, clashed with my sword. Our wills clashed. His blood red aura was mixing with my shadow black aura. Then, our clash ended, our backs turned to each other. Nothing happened. Then, my sword, the same one that was forged from the bones of one of the most dangerous creatures in the Southern Plains, shattered. The blade was cut in several places, exactly where Cornell's claws had clashed with it. Then, I felt a burning sensation on my chest. In the next second, it was bursting with blood. Four claw marks on both sides of my chest traveled down to from an X shape. That was the first time anyone has ever drawn blood from me.

Cornell was still. He hadn't moved a muscle. Then, his abdomen started to gush blood. Far more blood than me. Cornell fell to the ground, defeated. His was alive, but unconscious. I... had totally defeated one of the only three living Dark Generals.

I walked over toward the unconscious warrior, and gently picked him up. The werewolves didn't make a move. Seeing me defeat their Alpha must have told them that they were no match for me. I walked towards the largest of the werewolves, and gently placed their defeated leader into it's arms. I looked into my eyes with a sense of confusion. "Go." That's all it took. They all disappeared into the forest. In less than a second, I lost all traces of their presence.

I looked down at my bleeding chest, and used a high-class healing spell to take care of the wound. It stung a bit, but it was now completely gone.

"Alright. I'll admit it. That was pretty damn cool."

That wasn't Nabenon's voice. I quickly looked up into the direction of the new voice to see a thin man sitting on a tree branch. Even if I was caught in the heat of battle, or concentrating on mending my wounds, how did I not sense this man? Then, I realized something important about that man. He was wearing bronze armor.

"Master Grant?"

"Well, I'll be damned. So I'm famous enough for even a guy like you to know me, huh?" He effortlessly jumped off of the branch and landed gracefully on his feet. "I gotta say, feels kinda like an honor."

Why was this man here? Why would any human other than Angelica, let alone one of the most powerful warriors in the Three Plains, be in the Southern Plains?

"Listen kid, I bet you've got a crap ton of questions as to why I'm here. Let's just put it this way, I don't want to do what I was sent here to do." What did that mean? "Make it easy on both of us, kid. Give up on your quest." My eyes popped open when he said that. Did he know my goal? However, even if he did, why would he personally care? What does my journey have to do with him in the first place? "Come on, big guy. Just come back home. Leave this gloomy place, and come back. Whatever you may think, what you're looking for ain't worth it. Just give up."

Why? Why does he care? Why is he even trying at all? What does he know? Still, I need to tell him. "I'm sorry, Master Grant. I can't do that. I've already come too far to quit now." To show him what I meant, I activated the powers of my gloves and boots. My gloves reverted to their gauntlet forms, and the boots started to excrete a dark wind. Master Grant's eyes looked so... sad. "Oh, kid. No."

He seemed to be contemplating, as if he was wondering what to say next. "Listen, it's not too late. Trevor, Sypha, and your girlfriend are pretty damn good sorcerers. They should be more than capable of taking that crap off of ya." I was confused by what he said. "Girlfriend? Do you mean Angelica?" Master Grant's eyes seemed to light up with joy. "Oh, so you admit it! Good going, big guy! You got yourself quite the looker!" He was nudging me while he was saying that. For some reason, that caused me to blush. "Come on, kid. She misses you. You can still come back. Forget this Dark Lord crap. Go home. Live a good life with her. Make yourselves happy." He words were so powerful. The more he spoke, the more I thought of her. Her smile, her laughter, her eyes shining with happiness. It was so... tempting.

. . . . . . I . . . let out a tired sigh before I spoke. "Master Grant..." He looked into my eyes with such intensity. "I'm sorry." The look in his eyes was soul crushing. "I... just can't. I need to finish this. If I don't, the thought would haunt me for the rest of my life." He looked so sad. This must have been the worst case scenario for him. "Kid... please..." He took out a hand full of daggers in each hand. "Don't make me do this."

I started intently at his hands, until I got into my own position. I needed this. Master Grant is known as the as the fastest man in the world. I need to surpass him, if I was to become the new Master of the Black Wind Boots. We were both ready to fight. Then... we did.

There were small shock-waves made from each of our clashes. Giving the amount if times we clashed, they accumulated to make a barrage of booms and crashes. I was mostly deflecting his strikes, until I was able to grab a dagger from his hand. Then, our blades continuously clashed. Sparks were flying everywhere from the friction of the opposing weapons. Still, even though we were evenly matched at first, I could feel my speed gradually increasing. It got to the point to where I could easily see Master Grant's quick and precise movements. Then, it was like he was moving in slow motion. Finally, I decided to end our fight.

With my unequipped hand, with no dagger or gauntlet, landed a fist straight into Master Grant's solar plexus. This caused him to gasp for air, enough time for me to plant an uppercut into his exposed jaw. As he staggered back from the blow, I quickly grabbed his neck, and broke a few of the vertebrae. I made sure it wouldn't kill him, but he won't be moving for quite a while. Soldiers' healing rates are far more advanced than the average civilian, even more so when you're a Paladin. To keep him out of harms way, I brought his paralyzed body to the highest branch for him to rest. "I'm sorry, Master Grant." He gave a deep sigh before he spoke. "I'm sorry too. . . Sorry for both of you."

"Both?"

"You... and that cute girlfriend of yours." Angelica? "I was hoping I'd be able to convince you to come back peacefully, so we wouldn't have to go through with the mission. Now... nothing can stop it. We... will have to kill you, Adelram."

"We?" That's when I finally realized. It wasn't just Master Grant. The other Paladins were here as well. Not only that, but they wanted to kill me. Why? Was looking for a lost part of history, even a dark one, such an unforgivable sin? With that knowledge, I grabbed a nerve cluster in Ma- or rather, Grant's shoulder, and rendered him unconscious. Sleep well, Grant Danasty.

I jumped from the tree. When I landed, I looked toward where I had placed Grant. I couldn't see him at all. He should be safe. With that in mind, I ran back to the imp village. I saw Nabenon still running for his life. I grabbed him and kept on running.

It took about 2 minutes for me to reach the village border. Nabenon was looking at me, babbling while trying to speak. "HOW THE HELL DID WE GET HERE SO FAST!?" I couldn't help but chuckle. I told him everything that happened after he ran away, except for the parts involving Cornell and Grant. "YOU BEAT ALL OF THOSE WEREWOLVES ON YOUR OWN?!" I'm surprised that a single imp hadn't heard his screaming. "Yes, but could you do me a favor? Please, don't tell Sharn about this. If she finds out that I got into a fight without her, she'll give us both a good punch to the head. Believe me, that's something you don't want to experience." I guess hearing that from me, a man he knew for a fact fought against werewolves, brought more meaning into the warning. Nabenon was sweating bullets.

When we walked into the village square, we saw Sharn still playing with the children. They all had such big smiles on their faces, laughing as they played together. The sight brought a smile to my face. I couldn't help but think that Sharn would make an excellent mother one day. When I thought that, a certain... imaged popped into my head. Mentally smacking myself, I chose to make my presence known the moment Sharn lifted a small child and held it in her arms. "You seem to be enjoying yourself." She jumped at the sound of my voice. As she was slowly turning around, she slowly placed the child onto the ground. When she saw me, she started to blush. She turned to the children, and gently told them to return to their parents. They looked a bit disappointed, but obeyed nonetheless. As they were running back home, they kept shouting, "goodbye, big sister!" She was happily waving them goodbye, until one of them said something that caught both of us off guard. "Goodbye, big sister's boyfriend!" That caused me to stiffen a bit and blush, while Sharn just chuckled at the child's remark.

When the last child was gone, she turned toward me. Before she spoke, she started to sniff the air. After a few sniffs, she gave me a blank expression before walking up to me. "You wreak of sweat." Did I really smell that bad? "Well, I did race an imp." Her expression didn't change. "True, but most people don't have the sent of blood mixed in with their sweat after a mere jog." That caused me to stiffen a bit. I didn't know orcs had such a sensitive nose. "Also, your calves and biceps are convulsing, as if they were recovering from punching and kicking. Your heart-rate also sounds abnormal. It sounds as if it's trying to calm itself after an strenuous activity." That's when her eyes started to shoot daggers. "An activity like fighting." Just how knowledgeable are orcs?! How sensitive are their senses for her to be able to practically read me like a book?! There's no way I can just lie my way out of this situation.

I told her everything, not leaving out a single detail. The race with Nabenon, my new found powers, the werewolves, how I attacked them first, how I slaughtered nearly half of the entire pack, the alpha wolf's arrival, the reveal that it was Cornell, and even the fight with Grant. She listened intently to the entire story. I swear that she had a look of pride when I mentioned that I was the one to strike first. I also voiced my confusion about Cornell. Werewolves... are not immortals. They may have the power challenge vampires, but their lifespans are not infinite like a vampire's. They are supposed to live as long as a human, eighty years at the least. So, how is that Cornell is still alive and young after one hundred years? Sharn didn't seem to care about that. What did interest her was the mention of all six of the strongest soldiers from my home had come to kill me. She seemed pleased. She'd have someone to fight that were possibly at my level.

All in all, she seemed to have been pleased with my report. She even gave me a big smile. That's when I made a mistake. Thinking I was in the clear, I had released a breath that I didn't even know I was holding in while closing my eyes. I was only warned of the impending danger when I heard her crack her knuckles. I tried to run, but Sharn was somehow faster. The next thing I knew, I was planted into the ground after a devastating punch to the cranium by the strongest female orc. That punch from when I interrupted her fight was nothing compared to this. "Did you really think I'd forgive you? YOU GOT INTO AN INTERESTING FIGHT WITHOUT ME! THAT'S UNFORGIVABLE!" I was actually twitching from the impact of the blow. I only had enough strength to lift my head. Nabenon was there, with a look of absolute terror on his face. "Y-your woman sure is powerful." I wanted to retort that comment, but I didn't have the strength. Sharn made her own retort. "You're damned right I am!" She even flexed her muscles to emphasize her point.

Even with my advanced healing, it took me about a minute to recover from her blow. It's amazing to think I was able to beat this woman in single combat. After I jumped out of my crater, I asked Nabenon the location of the next species and who they were. He pointed in the direction opposite of the mountain. "That would be the goblins. There's a lake in that direction. Their village is just past it. It takes us imps about an hour to get to their village, but that's mostly because the lake is in our way." I was happy to hear that. I promised Nabenon that we would arrive at the village in about ten minutes. Sharn was about to ask me how I was able to promise this, until I lifted her bridal-style, much to her objection. I guess she wasn't used to being carried, much less in such an embarrassing way. Before she could so much as yell at me or hit me, I activated the power of my boots and ran. I was gone in the blink of an eye, but I was pretty sure the entire village was able to hear Sharn's scream.

Thanks to my boots, I really did reach the village in ten minutes. I just ran across the surface of the lake. I was about to tell Sharn we had arrived, until I caught a glimpse of her face. She was holding onto me for dear life, obviously not used to the high speed travel in the least. Her eyes were completely shut tight, with tears developing in the corners of her eyes. She slowly began to open them to see me staring at her cute, scared expression. A small blush began to develop as I placed her back onto the ground. I couldn't help but give her a cheeky smile. She retaliated by giving me a hard pinch to the cheek.

"So, how do you plan on finding the Dark Lord's next piece of armor? I heard that the goblins are quite skilled in the arts of the blacksmith. Do they have his chest piece or something?" I was still rubbing my cheek before I could answer her. "I honestly don't know, but I'm hoping someone can help us out." She looked at me with a bit of curiosity. "He's a friend of mine. He helped me when I first entered the Southern Plains. He's the one who told me about your village and a brief history of the Dark Lord's generals. He's a good goblin. I think you might like him. I can say for certain that he's going like you." I subconsciously analyzed Sharn, from her face to her three sizes to her athletic body. Yeah, you're definitely going to like her my friend. I can't wait to see you again...

Frokz.

 **A/N: That's right, boys and girls. You're favorite goblin's coming back. This chapter was quite a handful to write. . . . Hey, is it just me or did the fights in this chapter seem a bit... tragic? Cornell was just trying to protect his family, and Grant wanted to bring back Adelram peacefully.** **Did I make Adelram the bad guy in this chapter? Also, Cornell seems to have had quite the bitter history with the Dark Lord. Who's fight was more tragic: Cornell's or Grant's? Also, I can't help but wonder what would happen if Grant had succeeded. I can't think of an alternate ending. What would have happened if Grant was able to convince Adelram to come home peacefully or if he was actually able to beat Adelram in their fight? I... don't have an answer. Maybe one of you do. If you can, write an alternate ending for Grant's peaceful or forceful victory. This is the first time I'm asking you guys to take full reign over the alternate ending, but I'm betting it won't be the last. Good luck, guys. Until the next chapter. Whether the next chapter is a Victory chapter or the continuation of the story will be up to you.**


	10. Chapter 8

"BWAHAHAAA! THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A MUG FULL A BEER!"

"I'LL DRINK TO THAT!"

Everywhere you look, there were goblins drinking like there was no tomorrow. They looked like they were having fun. They damn well better, since I was kind enough to fill up the damn house.

"Hey, Frokz! Tell us that story again! The one about that how you got this cash!"

"Ah, you mean how I met Rammy! You pricks never get tired of hearing about 'im, do ya?! Well, there I was, washing my trusty sword in some small lake. Next thing I knew, I heard someone behind me. Now, I'd rather flight than fight, so I tried to run. When I tried, these huge walls appeared at both sides a me! I tried to jump into the lake, but another one just shot up right then and there! I thought I had to fight. With my sword in hand, I looked at whatever monster was behind me. Imagine my surprise to see a human! A HUMAN! Those damn things haven't been in these parts in a damn century! He was tall, and I mean tall! He's easily taller than two goblins combined. Hell, I could only reach the guy's waist. He had pitch black hair, brown eyes that looked like milk chocolate, and even had skin as dark as caramel." A lot of the goblins were looking hungry now. A lot of them had a sweet tooth, so comparing Rammy to candy was teasing them. I love teasing people.

"I thought he wanted to kill me, but he just wanted to talk. He even made sure I wouldn't go anywhere by offerin' me these babies!" I threw the sac that Rammy gave me onto the table, and out spilled all the gold he had given me. That got the boys groanin'!

"You just got lucky, Frokz!"

"Yeah! If I had found the guy, that'd be my gold!"

"Well, complain all you want kids! I'm the lucky goblin that found 'im! This gold is proof! And all I had to do was give him what he wanted. Information. He wanted to know about the Dark Lord, but no one really knows who he was, except for six people. That's what I gave him. Information on the Six Dark Generals, especially Medusa. Hubba-hubba!" That got us guys goin'. We all heard the rumors of what a babe she was, so we all had our own images of what she looked like. Pretty much every guy in the cheering, whooping, and hollering about Medusa. The girls, on the other hand, were groanin' at our antics. You could tell that they wanted me to continue the story just to shut them up.

"After I told Rammy about what happened to three of the generals and some rumors about the other three, I gave him another bit of info. I told him about the Dark Lord's armor." That got everyone to shut up. Some even started to whisper to one another.

"Don't we have one of them?"

"We do. We have his breastplate. His ultimate defense. I've heard rumors that it's imbued with some kind of sorcery that lets ordinary weapons phase right through him, as if he were MADE of darkness itself. Swords, arrows, hammers, knives; doesn't matter. It wouldn't even touch him. I think only magic and enchanted weapons could really hurt him, but even they'd have a hard time hitting him. That armor's supposed to be so strong, that it makes a dragon's scale look like a piece of straw in comparison. Still, he was closest to the Dark Gauntlets."

Everyone started to panic.

"HE WENT TO THE ORCS?!"

"THAT'S INSANE! THOSE GUYS'LL KILL HIM!"

"THOSE GUYS ARE ANIMALS! THEY'LL SLAUGHTER HIM!"

"Calm down, ya bunch of sissies! I've only met that guy once, and I know for DAMN sure that he's not gonna let some overgrown meat-heads take him down. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if his fight with them was pretty one-sided. He can handle them. I bet those imps won't be much trouble for him either. It's only a matter of time before he gets here. . ." I had to let out a sigh before I spoke again. "Only a matter of time." I was looking at my beer, making it swish around before I brought it up to my lips. "I do miss the kid though. Can't help but wonder how he's doin'." I was taking a few swigs from my beer, before I heard a voice behind me.

"I'd say he's doing pretty well."

I know that voice! I turned around quickly to see him, smiling down at me.

"RAMMY!" I couldn't stop myself. I just jumped up and gave the kid a good hug. "It's great to see ya again, kid! Let me get a good look at ya!" He still looked the same. Didn't even have a single scar. That just proves how tough the kid is. Even I've got a few scars from the wildlife on my scouting trips, but this guy doesn't even have a scratch. He does have a bit of a wardrobe change. The black gloves and those fancy black leather boots suit him pretty damn well. I can't seem to put my finger on it, but he seems a bit different. Stronger. He even has a bit of a darker feel to him. Ironic, considering that bright smile of his. "Well, hot damn. You don't look different at all. You do have some nice looking new gear, but other than that, you don't seem to di-h-h-he-HELL-O-HO-HO-HO-HOOO!"

HE'S GOT HIMSELF A BABE, AND A GREEN-SKINNED ONE AT THAT! GOOD JOB, RAMMY! She was a bit taller than him, but that didn't hinder the hotness factor at all! She had legs that went ALL THE WAY UP, a pair of delicious and sweet looking watermelons, and a body that made most of the guys in the tavern lose their damned minds! Not so much as a damned ounce of fat on her! She even had her navel exposed! NIIIIICE! Her face was just as good to look at! An exotic beauty with eyes as shiny as my gold! Her fangs even gave her a sexy, feral look. "HOT DAMN, KID! YOU GOT YOURSELF A GOOD ONE!"

I had no idea I said that out loud. Rammy actually chuckled before he spoke to his lovely lady friend. "See, Sharn? I told you he'd like you. And he doesn't seem to be the only one." So that's her name. Sharn. Lovely. She was looking around to see the looks on the other goblins faces. The guys were practically drooling at her. Some were even dumb enough to actually wolf whistle at her. Most of the girls were glaring at the guys, but I was surprised to see that some of them were actually admiring Sharn. Ah, who am I kidding? That woman's damn near hypnotic. Still, why did she look so confused? She even looked a bit embarrassed, like this was the first time she's been in this kind of situation. How can a babe like her not be used to being in the limelight?

"Yes. She is quite beautiful."

Uh-oh. I recognize that lovely voice too. When I looked toward the exit, there was a cute, young female goblin. She didn't have a single wrinkle on her beautiful face. Her bosom was perky. She had her beautiful, glossy, long green haired tied in a ponytail to keep it from falling onto her face. She was the picture of beauty. Her only flaw was that she was holding a rolling pin in her hand while patting it into her other one, looking prepared to use it at any second.

Rammy was the first to speak. "Hey, Frokz. Who's that goblin. She's very pretty."

"The wife."

Rammy looked really surprised when I said that. "You're married? Huh, for some reason, I didn't peg you as the type. I must say, your wife is quite lovely." I couldn't help but swell my chest with pride. "You're damned right she is! Am I a lucky little bastard or what?!"

She gave one of her cute chuckles before she spoke. "Oh, Frokz. You always were a smooth talker." After she said that, her personality took a drastic change. She was gripping the rolling pin so hard, it began to crack. She walked over towards me, her eyes practically shining red. "TOO BAD YOU WERE ALWAYS A FLIRT AS WELL!"

I was preparing myself for the inevitable pain of her rolling pin. When it never came, I was confused. I slowly opened my eyes to see Rammy. He was holding her rolling pin in his hand. "Pardon me, my lady, but could we please speak in private?" He walked her away from earshot. He even whispered carefully in her ear. Guess he knew how sensitive our hearing was.

Whatever he was saying, she was enjoying. She kept nodding her head, saying things like, "Mhm", "oh", "yes", and "I see". Rammy stopped whispering in her ear before he spoke again. "And besides, it'd be quite improper for such a fair young maiden such as yourself to show such brutish behavior outside, wouldn't it young lady?" She was blushing like a love struck youngster when he said that to her. "Oh my! You're quite the charmer, aren't you? My husband could learn a thing or two from you. Very well. I shall return home." She turned to me and gave me a sharp look. "However, you're mine when you come back home, dear." That sent a shiver down my spine. As she exited the pub, Rammy was walking back towards me. "What did you tell her? What am I in for when I go back home?" He was digging into that weird portal of his as I was asking this. "Nothing two bags of gold and two gold bars won't fix." He brought out the aforementioned money when he said that. Many of the patrons and even the bartender groaned at this, jealousy obviously laced in their tone. He was right. With this much money, I was officially the second richest goblin in the entire Southern Plains. I love this kid so damn much.

I got all three of us a drink. Sharn downed hers in less than a second, so I bought her an entire barrel. This girl sure can hold her liquor. Wonder what she is. I asked Rammy that while I was taking a sip. "You can't tell? She's an orc." Everyone who was drinking spat out their beer. "NO FUCKING WAY! THIS DAMNED BEAUTY IS AN ORC?! BUT ORCS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE HUGE, SCARY, MUSCLE FILLED, SCAR COVERED, MONSTERS; NOT SEXY, CUTE, YOUNG BEAUTIES LIKE HER!" After I looked at her, she... looked a bit pissed. I guess I might have overstepped my boundaries. "I assure you, she is an orc. Also, not all of them are large. Let me show you." Rammy then used some kind of spell to show us his memories. We got to see him take on three orcs at once. The one with the big-ass sword was weirdly skinny. His fight with the ax orc was one hell of a spectacle. That armored one was obviously the toughest of the lot, but that was one hell of a surprise to find out that was Sharn. I'm pretty sure a lot of the guys felt really jealous of Rammy when they heard what Sharn said to him, but I think a lot of us where paying more attention to the nip slip. Good going, Rammy. You caught the best part. Rammy blushed at that part, and I'm pretty sure Sharn was giving him a teasing glance. Those two are pretty good together, in my opinion. We then saw the orcs' village. That's probably the closest we'd ever get to that place. There were plenty of kids and warriors. Even though it was just Rammy's memories, those guys still looked intimidating. The scariest of them all was this huge, hulk of a man. He was bigger than those other orcs that Rammy first fought agai-. . . . . . What did Sharn just say? That was a woman? . . . . . . WHAT DID SHE MEAN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL?! Everyone in the bar, except for Rammy and Sharn, had their jaws hit the table. Not even seeing those beautiful orc women, WHO WERE SUPPOSED TO BE UGLY, could heal us! I had to buy everyone, even the bartender, a full barrel of beer. We all drank our barrels dry. Rammy finally finished the show by showing us the orc's War Chief, Sharn's dear daddy. Good thing too. Just seeing that guy is gonna give me nightmares.

After that, I couldn't help but ask Rammy how his search for the Dark Lord's armor was going. He gave me one hell of an answer. His black gloves and boots were shrouded in darkness. When it was gone, there they were. The Dark Gauntlets and the Black Wind Boots. All the goblins marveled at the sight of the legendary armor. He just needed two more to complete the set. Then, came the inevitable question. "Frokz, can you help me obtain the Shadow Guard?" I was hoping he wouldn't ask me that. With a heavy sigh, I explained to him that there could only be one person with that piece. The Goblin King. I wasn't exactly at the height of power in the kingdom. Hell, I'm just a lowly scout. I told him that the most I can do was probably get him into the king's throne room to speak with the guy. He said it was more than enough.

With a bit of... "convincing", one of my bag felts a lot lighter than when Rammy gave them to me, the guards let us pass with relatively no hassle. When we entered the throne room, I couldn't help but bask in the king's glory. True, he was just slightly taller than Rammy himself, but he just had this awesome aura about him. That scepter that he crafted looked amazing. The dark green metal, the black gem stone on top, and the thorn design on the scepter was a picture of unmatched art. His gaze felt so heavy, that I was practically grovelling before the man. Rammy was bowing as well, but on bended knee. He wasn't struggling at all. He was just showing respect. Sharn was doing the exact same thing he was. Just how powerful are these two?!

The king gave us permission to raise before he ordered Rammy to state him business. Rammy politely asked the king to "bestow upon him the Shadow Guard". Before the king could respond, Rammy activated his powers, and showed the king his gauntlets and boots. The king looked... interested. He almost immediately got up and told all three of us to fol- three? He wants me to come too?! I don't believe it! I get to see one of the greatest crafted pieces of armor ever to exist! I was feeling so jittery and jumpy as the king led us down a hallway.

When we had reached the end of the hallway, the king opened the door to show us the Dark Lord's armor. It was... breathtaking. It was as black as the rest of Rammy's armor. On each side of the breastplate was a design of a dragon with it's jaws wide open. The abdomen of the armor had the design of scales, as if it were made of actual dragon scales. The shoulders were broad, with what looked like claws protruding from the edges of the shoulder. It looked so intimidating, and yet so beautiful. Still, it looked way to big for Rammy. When he went to put it on, I was proven right. He didn't even have to unbuckle anything. He just slipped it on. Though, why did he take off his shirt? Then, the armor started to glow black. It was shrinking, until it fit perfectly onto him. I could have sworn I heard a hissing sound. Like something was being cooked. Rammy even had a look of pain to him. The armor fit him perfectly now, but something else happened. His gloves and boots started to glow, then his entire body. A dark aura was completely engulfing him, until darkness pretty much exploded from him. When it was gone, Rammy was completely covered in armor. His arms and legs were completely covered with black armor. He even had a helmet that greatly resembled the head of a dragon. There was even a black cape flapping from his shoulders. He looked amazing! He looked like a damned general. His helmet seemed to break itself apart and return into the armor itself, showing Rammy's shocked expression. He was studying his new armor completely, even analyzing the cape. He seriously looked good in that getup. Even the king looked impressed.

When he was done, he closed his eyes and started to concentrate. He was engulfed in that same black energy. When it went away, his armor was gone. He had his black boots and gloves, but now he had a black shirt. He also got a black cloak with a hood. It's so incredible how well it complements his character. The only thing that didn't change about his were those blue pants of his.

The king gave Rammy his blessings, and wished him good fortune on the rest of his journey. As we walked out of the palace, I couldn't help but admire Rammy's new clothes. I was also hoping he wouldn't ask me about the shadow demons. No one knows where they are, or even how to find them. It'd be damn near impossible to find even one of them. He didn't ask me, but for an unfortunate reason.

As soon as we had stepped out, a darkness appeared under Rammy. He looked down at it, so it definitely wasn't his. Then, arms started to reach out and grab him. That scared the hell out of me! Sharn and I wanted to try and help him, but he raised him hand. He didn't want our help. Instead, he allowed the hands to completely engulf him, and pull him into the darkness. He was gone. What the hell was that?! I had never seen anything that scary in my entire life, and I'm in my thirties! That was the scariest damn thing I've ever seen in my thirty plus years of living in the Southern Plains! Then, it hit me. Those things, those creatures that crawled out of the darkness. . . . . . Those were the shadow demons. That's why Rammy didn't fight back. He wanted them... to take him to their territory. To take him to the last piece of the Dark Lord's armor set.

The Diabolo Anathema.

* * *

Another buzzard bites the dust. Good thing the birds aren't as tough as the beasts on the ground. It was nice of Adelram to leave me out of harms way, but he could have at least left me something to eat when I woke up. Wonder if he forgot that not everyone has fire magic to cook their food.

"Master Grant! Are you up there?!"

Huh, they showed up faster than I thought they would. "Yeah! Don't mind me! Just enjoying the night sky and throwing knives at birds who want to peek my eyes out!" When I said that, Sypha was already there, floating right onto the branch. She used her magic to give a quick exam. "You're vertebrae is damaged, but it's nothing I can't fix." She used her healing magic on me. Took a couple of minutes, but I felt great once she was done. Against her wishes, I immediately jumped down to meet the others.

"Well, you seemed to have recovered nicely, Master Grant."

"Damn right, Shanny. Sypha knows what she's doin'."

Trevor was quick to ask me what had happened. I told them everything once Sypha had joined us. Their eyes popped open in shock when I told them that Adelram caused all of this carnage and destruction by himself. David was especially shocked. "Adelram did all of this by himself? But, I thought he had an orc with him. What about her?"

"She was nowhere to be seen. All this destruction, the dead werewolves, my neck; it was all him. See that clearing with the piles of half werewolves? He caused that... when he missed a swipe kick aimed at the alpha." Trevor was dumbfounded. "HE CAUSED THAT BY ACCIDENT?!" I had to cover my ear from the sheer volume of his voice. "Yeah. The kid's gotten stronger. Still, he deserves every bit of praise he's ever gotten. Even if he didn't have those new powers of his, I'd probably still have a hell of a time fighting him."

Sypha noticed what I had said. "What do you mean, 'new powers'?"

"He found the Dark Lord's boots. He's now faster than me. Hell, if he completely masters those powers, he'd probably be faster than me and Hammer's bike combined." Nobody liked the sound of that. Trevor was the one who spoke next. "Then we need to hurry. Now that his powers have increased, he shall be easier to track. However, he shall be far more difficult to slay."

"Well, I've got no problem killing him. It'll leave a bad taste in my mouth to kill someone who sparred my life, but I'll get over it." Trevor seemed to like hearing that. He used his magic to sense where Adelram was, and found him in a matter of seconds. "LET'S GO SOLDIERS!"

"SIR! YES, SIR!"

* * *

Heels were clicking on the floor made of darkness. Many skeleton creatures at first tried to approach the intruder, but backed away in fear once they saw who it was. The clicking stopped.

"DEATH! SHOW YOURSELF!"

Moments passed, before a dark voice was heard. "You forget your place, Carmilla."

Behind the beautiful vampiress, a tall and dark figure that was easily twice her height appeared. It was completely cloaked in a rob that was practically made of darkness. In it's left hand, it held a foreboding scythe. It looked like it was made of bones. The handle itself looked to be nothing more than an extremely long human spine. The blade was surrounded by a purple, evil aura. The beings face... was nonexistent. All that was there was a skull, with sharp canines and empty eye sockets that looked to hold in it's darkness blood red orbs of unholy light.

"How dare you call for me in such a rude manner? Do not forget that I can easily strip you of your immortality and end your life."

"And don't you forget that I'm one of the few living beings who can actually fight and defeat you, Reaper."

Both generals started deeply into the others eyes. Two red orbs staring into a beautiful blue eye. Death finally backed away and turned his back on her. "What have you come for, Carmilla?"

"There is a human in the Southern Plains that we must slay."

"You need my help to slay a mere human? Have you become that weak over the past century, Carmilla?"

"He wields His Majesty's power."

That got Death's attention. He turned towards Carmilla slowly, a burning rage in his eyes. "What?"

"The boy had the Dark Gauntlets in his disposal. He aims to take the rest of our Lord's power, yet he has no desire to resurrect him. He has the audacity to believe that the power is now his. As if to further mock his Lordship, that accursed human used the power of the gauntlets to defeat me, and nearly take my life."

The Dark Lord meant everything to Death. He had no power to bring him back to life, not without an adequate offering. To hear that an insect was using the power of his Lord and Master brought absolute rage to the dark god. He would make him suffer. He would feast on the mortal's soul, and use his body to bring his precious master back into this pathetic, disgusting world; and destroy the light of God once and for all. "Carmilla, what is this mortal's name?"

"The boy's name... is Adelram Umbra."

"Umbra?"

Carmilla heard the confusion in Death's voice. "Is there something special about that name?"

Death didn't answer immediately. "There is a certain clan that lives to this day. It's more than likely that the boy shares their name by pure coincidence, especially since the clan is made up entirely of women." This peaked Carmilla's interest. "However, should he gain the favor of that accursed clan, then his power will grow even more than now. Not even our power would be adequate to challenge the boy. The only one who could would be... the Dark Lord himself." Carmilla was shocked to hear this. That accursed boy would become that powerful? Now she knew he needed to die.

"Death, will you help me slay the boy?"

"No."

"What?!"

"You have already failed once in taking his life. I shall deal with him myself. This I promise, by the end of this day, when the moon is shining at it's brightest, Adelram Umbra shall DIE BY MY BLADE!" And with that, Death disappeared, leaving Carmilla behind.

". . . . . . You arrogant fool. Like me, you underestimate the boy. And like me, you shall fall at his feet."

 **A/N: Three damned POVs in one chapter! I had planned on it just being Frokz, but the other two just came up. At least you guys know that Grant is just fine, but now the Paladins' resolve to kill Adelram has been increased. All three of the living Dark Generals have been revealed, AND THEY ALL WANT ADELRAM DEAD! He just can't catch a break, can he? Sorry there was no big action packed scene in this chapter. They all can't be punches and swords. See ya in the next chapter! Oh, and tell me which of the POVs you** **liked more: Frokz's, Grant's, or the narration of Death and Carmilla.**


	11. Chapter 9

When I opened my eyes after being dragged by those shadowed hands, I saw darkness. It was endless. Not so much as a glimmer of light. Yet, I was still able to see. I could easily distinguish my body. I could see my black glove in front of my face. I could see my boots, my shirt, and my cloak. I could see. The darkness itself was so... pleasant. It was the type of darkness one sees when they close their eyes to rest. The darkness that allows a peaceful sleep to take them. It was cool, calm, and comforting. I could feel absolutely no evil from the darkness. I felt... nothing. No other presence other than my own.

I started to walk. Each step echoed through the empty plain. I just kept walking. Then, emerging from the shadows, came the form of a little girl. She looked no older than twelve in terms of height. Her face was covered by her long hair. She wasn't wearing any shoes, and she just wore a simple white dress. Her skin looked pale, deathly so.

"My Lord?" Her voice echoed. It had a ghostly tone to it, but it was undoubtedly the voice of a child. "Are you My Lord?"

I just stood there, contemplating on what to say next. I had no idea who this being was, but I knew why she would believe I was... the Dark Lord. I had his armor. I had his power. I wouldn't be surprised if I had his aura, or even his scent. Still, I would not lie. "No."

The spirit was still. She started to shake a bit. I thought she was going to attack me, but instead, I heard her... cry. Soft, short sniffles; as if she was willing herself to not break down into tears. "My Lord..." It was then that she revealed her face. So young. It truly was a child. He skin was as pale as the rest of her body, even her lips looked colorless. However, the most distinguishing feature were her eyes... Or rather lack there of.

In place of her eyes was darkness. Absolute black. It was like staring into a bottomless pit. Anyone with a weak spirit would have either fainted or ran away with absolute fear plaguing their soul. I felt no such fear. I saw nothing to fear. Though they were empty, I could still feel her emotions. They were so sad. As if she were abandoned, or even rejected. "Do you reject us? Do we repulse you?" So much sadness. So much fear and desperation. She wanted me to accept her so badly. "Child, I do not reject you, nor do I feel repulsion toward you. However, I cannot accept you." Her eyes widened with pain. "How can I? I have no right to rule over you, for I am not a lord. I will not rule over anyone." I walked over to her before I spoke again. "Nor shall anyone ever rule over me. However, I'll never allow anyone to dominate you." I placed my left hand onto her right cheek. She seemed to have taken comfort in this. She closed her eyes and gave a content smile as she rubbed her cheek against the palm of my hand. She looked so happy.

"Child, please, reveal your full form." She opened her eyes slightly. She looked hesitant at first. She then complied, and allowed her wings to sprout from her back. They were completely black and greatly resembled the wings of a bat. She looked afraid, as if she was preparing herself for my disgust of her wings. I felt no such thing. To me, she was still a beautiful creature. A creature that needed protection. "This I promise you, I will never allow harm to come to you, or to any of you."

When I said that, many other beings surrounded me and the child. They were of different heights, but they all shared the same features as the child. They all had deathly pale skin, black hair that covered their faces, and those beautiful black wings.

"You would protect us?"

"But why?"

"You refuse to be our Lord, so why should you protect us?"

"Why would a being of the light want to protect the creatures of the dark?"

Each question seemed to come from all around me. They were full of so much confusion. "Why shouldn't the light want to protect the darkness?" They did not stir, but I could still feel their confusion. "Darkness itself... is not evil. There can be no light without darkness, such as there can be no darkness without light. One will always need the other. Still, there are fools who wish to destroy the darkness. They do it not for peace and happiness of all, but for their own peace. They fear the darkness, because they do not understand it. When you cannot see something, when you cannot touch it, when you cannot understand it, you tend to fear it. Villainize it. True, many evil beings have used the power of darkness for selfish reasons, but the actions of one should not symbolize the many. WHAT EVIL HAVE ANY OF YOU COMMITTED?!" Many of the beings seemed shocked at my statement. I could sense from their hearts, from their souls, that they have never committed any crimes against the forces of good. "All any of you have ever wished for is peace. You have no control over those who would abuse the power of darkness for their own evil agendas, so why should you suffer for their actions?! What gives you, the children of darkness, any less right to enjoy the same peace as the children of the light?!"

So many were speaking to one another. I looked at the child. Her eyes were completely wide. She looked so surprised at what I was saying. They looked so stupefied. They also seemed so... hopeful. "Will you protect us?" She was looking so hopeful. She wanted me to help them. "Will you ensure our peace?"

"Will you ensure our happiness?"

"Will you be our protector?"

They all sounded hopeful. It sounded like the haven't known peace in years. No, in centuries. It was if they hadn't known true peace, even in the reign of the Dark Lord. Even when the first spirit asked if I was her lord, I was still able to catch the sound of fear in her voice. It was so complex, as if she didn't know whether to be happy or afraid of the return of the Dark Lord. "This I promise to all of you, it matters not if your assailants are warriors of the light or soldiers of the darkness, I shall not allow any tyranny to befall you. I will challenge all who try to destroy your dark peace. I would even challenge THE LIGHT OF GOD HIMSELF!"

None have moved at all. Not a single sound was heard. Then, the spirits behind the child parted ways, and then, I heard something rise from behind the girl. "We can sense the resolve in your soul. Your words ring truly. You truly do care for the children of the night. You may reject your title, but we shall accept you as our lord. Because of this, we shall return what is rightfully yours, my liege."

The child stepped to the side to reveal what was at her back. There it was. The final piece to the set. The Diabolo Anathema. It was a work of art. It was a black, double-edged sword. At the center of the hilt was the carved image of a horned demon. Down both sides of the blade was the design of lightning. The protruding sides of the weapon's hilt looked as sharp as claws, much like the shoulders of my armor. The weapon was glowing an ethereal, purple aura. It was dark, but strangely, I sensed no malice or blood-lust. All I could sense from it was... content. Was it pleased to see me? Did it know that it would leave it's temporary home? I was still admiring the blade as I walked toward it. Gingerly, I grasped the hilt of the mighty blade. Once I liberated it from it's former sheath, I marveled at it's grace. As with the other artifacts, this mighty sword was large. It was easily as tall as I was. However, like the rest, it adjusted to my physique. The sword was now as long as my arm, but fit perfectly in my hand. It was so comfortable and light. I barely needed any strength to swing the sword at all. Then came the part I was waiting for. The sword's memories.

I saw the blade being pointed toward the sky as it's wielder lead his army in a charge against their enemies. I saw the sword slashing through blades, armor, and even magic as if they were paper. I saw the shadowed blade clash with a sword of light. Then, something strange happened. Something that didn't happen with the other artifacts. I saw locations. I knew exactly how to get there. There were two. One of the locations was a lake being bathed by the moon light. It felt so... holy. There was a sword placed inside of a stone. I couldn't see the blade completely, but I could feel it. It's like it was calling. Calling for... me? Then, another sight was shown to me. A book. A large one at that. It was radiating power, but there was something else. The book was surrounded... by women. They were powerful. I could feel the magic power flooding from them. They were witches. It didn't stop. I was given a name. I knew the name of the witches. What they called themselves. I couldn't believe it.

The visions were gone. I wasn't tired at all, but I was pleased. I was afraid I might hit a dead end once I had gotten the sword, but a new path had been opened to me. As much as I wanted to meet the witches, I felt compelled to find that sword. Speaking of swords, I gazed upon the Diabolo Anathema. Such a magnificent blade had accepted me as it's new wielder. It may take me a while to completely master it's power, but I'll have plenty of opportunities and more than enough time to do just that.

With a swing of the sword, I opened a portal of darkness. Before I walked through, I looked back towards the Shadow Demons, or rather, the Fallen Angels. The child from before was there at the front, her hands clasped together at her chest, a look of sadness on her face. While looking at them, I raised my new sword towards the sky of darkness. "I swear on my honor, no child of man, no demon of Satan, or even an angel of God shall bring you despair! I shall be... your protector! Your guardian! I shall be... YOUR KNIGHT!" The Fallen Angels all looked at me, studying me, seeing if I spoke truly. Then, I could see tears in their eyes. The child was actually allowing her tears to fall freely. Then, they all fell on bended knees, bowed their heads, and clasped their hands to their chests. "THANK YOU, YOUR MAJESTY!" I didn't rebut them this time. The child said it first. Even if I reject the title, they'll still see me as their lord. With that in mind, I walked through the portal, promising myself to never break my promise to them.

The first thing I experienced after I closed the portal was a pressure around my waist and the sound of loud crying. I looked down to see Frokz hugging me while crying. "RAMMY! YOU SCARED THE HELL OUT OF US! WE THOUGHT YOU WERE A GONER!"

"He's right, Adelram!" I looked up to see a very annoyed Sharn. "How could you allow yourself to get captured like that?! Here we are, worrying about you after seeing you being dragged into some strange darkness! What were you thinking?!" She was about to continue lecturing me, until she saw what I was holding in my left hand. "Is that?" Frokz was able to calm down enough to look at what was able to stop Sharn from yelling at me. His eyes widened in shock before he practically flew backwards screaming, hands flying into the air. It brought the sword up to examine, and even lifted it up toward the moon. It looked even more beautiful with the light of the moon illuminating it. "Yes. It's the Diabolo Anathema. The Dark Lord's sword."

Both Sharn and Frokz were mesmerized by the sword. Sharn was able to break out of her daze first. "So, are you closer to learning about the Dark Lord?" I turned my gaze toward her. I gave a sigh before I spoke. "Not exactly. When I got the sword, I was shown it's memories, but something strange happened. I was shown two different locations. One was holding a sword, while the other was holding a grimoire." Frokz looked the most confused, so he was the one who naturally spoke next. "But you already have the Diabolo Anathema. Why would you be shown another sword?"

"I don't know. But that's exactly why Sharn and I am going to that location first." Sharn looked excited. I guess she was happy to know our journey wasn't going to end anytime soon. When I said that, I raised the sword towards the moon again. It really did look beautiful in the full moon light. Then, something strange happened. The moon's pale white light started to turn a dark shade of purple. The area was now covered in a purple color. Something was coming.

I told Frokz to run towards the pub as fast as he can and to make sure no one got out. He complied with no argument. Sharn already had her daggers out. We were both prepared for any form of attack. I sensed a killing attack from... above?! With a swift movement, I turned my sword up towards the sky, just in time to block a flurry of attacks from... scythes? There was something strange about the scythes. They were transparent. When I looked at the assailants, I was surprised by what I saw. They were as transparent as their weapons! I could literally see right through them. When I looked at them, all I saw were tall figures wearing cloaks. They didn't have any faces at all! It was just a void! I was able to repel them, and with a slash of the sword, I had slain them. The cries of agony was more than enough proof of that. Plus, the fact that they completely disappeared was another sign of their demise. More of the same creatures appeared. Sharn tried to attack them, but her daggers just went straight through them. She couldn't touch them. She was pretty much defenseless. I was worried about her, but then, an idea had come to me. It was a gamble, but it was better than nothing.

"Sharn! Turn towards me, and place your daggers over your chest!"

"What?! Why?!"

"No time to explain! Just trust me, partner!"

After I said that, Sharn did as I said. Concentrating a small flame into my right fist, I threw the flame at the blades of Sharn's daggers. My gamble payed off. Her daggers were set ablaze with the black flames. Just the blades. The hilts and her body were completely untouched by the black fire. Before she could marvel at her new, temporary weapons, she had to block an attack from the creature. It was successful. I even heard the clash of the weapons. Taking the monster's stunned shriek as a chance, Sharn slashed through the ghostly creature. It shrieked before it disappeared.

As I thought, the fire from my gauntlets can harm these creatures. I bet the rest of my armor can harm these creatures as well. To test that theory, I completely activated my full armor set. When I did that, I tried to kick one of the ghosts. It was sent flying before it disappeared. I could actually feel the impacts from my punches and kicks. Something interesting also happened. I must have let down my guard enough for one of the creatures to attack me from behind, or at least try to. It's strike would have slashed right through my left shoulder, had it not been for my new Shadow Guard Breastplate. The blade bounced off of my shoulder like a pebble bouncing off of a mighty stone wall. The last thing I heard from the creature was it's cry of surprise, before I killed it.

The battle went on like this for some time. Sharn and I had slain countless numbers of these creatures. Though it was a battle of life or death, I couldn't help but enjoy it. Neither could Sharn. I, with my new sword, and her with her flaming daggers. The adrenaline was rushing through both of us. We were both having a hell of a time, sending these creatures back to Hell.

Finally, they stopped appearing. We were left panting, exhausted from all the fighting, with giant smiles plastered onto our faces. When no other creatures appeared, Sharn gave a quick flick of her wrists to put out the flames before she sheathed her daggers. I was about to place my sword into it's own storage dimension, until I heard a demonic voice.

"Quite impressive. So this is the power of the heretic who defeated that fool Carmilla."

The voice caused me to go into full alert. I haven't felt this type of fear in a long time. Looking up toward the sky, I saw... something unholy. It was a cloaked figure, much like those ghosts from before, only with a much more powerful aura. It had no face. Only a skull. It had a scythe in it's left hand. I could feel the power radiating from it. All I could feel from the creature was one thing. Death.

"So, you are the blasphemer who dares to claim the Lord's power for himself."

Lord? No. No way. "Are you... the dark god? Are you truly Death himself?!"

"Indeed, I am, thief. I am here to take back what belongs to the Master. And as punishment for taking what you could not possible hope to understand, you shall be punished. Though, you should see it as an honor. Through your death... through your body, the Dark Lord..." Death brought his arms together, and started to concentrate. "SHALL RISE ONCE AGAIN!" With that said, he released a darkness that enveloped me. When I opened my eyes, I was in a hellish realm. Sharn was nowhere to be seen, but he was there; scythe in hand. So, it's me versus Death. Sounds fair to me.

With a swing of his hands, a platoon of those same spirits appeared before me. I slaughtered them all. Thinking he saw an opening, Death tried to slash me with his scythe. I was able to parry the attack, and slash him in return. That seemed to infuriate him.

"HOW DARE YOU?! A MERE MORTAL, HARM ME?! I DECIDE WHO LIVES AND WHO DIES, BOY! YOU CANNOT HOPE TO WIN!"

He started to attack me with more ferocity. He sent all manner of attacks at me. Countless flying scythes. Exploding skulls that would home in on me. His own strikes imbued with his power. If it wasn't for my armor and sword, I would have died countless times. However, with my powers, I was able to more than hold my own against the god. I did far more damage to him than he did to me. Still, I was running low on stamina. The battle with those spirits had really drained me of energy. Eventually, I had fallen on bended knee.

"What's wrong, human? Feeling a bit weak, are we?" He actually chuckled. He was enjoying seeing me suffer. "Pathetic. You are no Lord of Darkness. He would be able to fight far longer than this. His stamina is endless. Even if he didn't have the Crimson Stone, I would still follow him out of sheer respect for his power."

The Crimson Stone? That thing was supposed to be a myth. Even more legendary than the Dark Lord himself. It's said that the stone can absorb the souls of anything. It is also said that the owner... would be able to have Death as an ally. So that's how he did it. He found the Crimson Stone. That's how he was able to have Death as an ally. Still, Death said that he'd follow him even without the Stone's influence. Just what kind of man was the Dark Lord?

"Now, I shall complete my duties. Rejoice, human. It is through you that my Master shall return. Through you, the true power of the Darkness shall be unleashed on this pathetic world, and the Night shall rule again!"

He raised his scythe above his head, getting ready to swing it down to end my life. Still, that didn't bother me. He said something else that pissed me off. Before his scythe could reach it's intended target, I blocked it with my sword. I could practically feel the surprised shock from Death.

"I'm no Dark Lord? You're damned right I'm not!" With a burst of strength, I sent Death flying away from me. He looked so shocked. "Dark Lord this, and Dark Lord that. You have no right to use his power? His power is not for a mere boy to trifle with? You refuse to resurrect the Dark Lord? You're body will bring him back to life? I DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT ANY OF THAT! I didn't start this journey to bring some bastard back from the dead! I didn't start this quest to replace him! And I sure as hell didn't start this adventure to BECOME the prick! I started it to learn about him! To unlock a piece of history that no one knows about! If I had to accept his power to learn more about him, then so be it! If I have to fight monsters, demons, humans, and even gods to achieve that goal, then I'll gladly do it! If I have to become a guardian to get that much closer to him, then I'll gladly do it! However, I'll do it on my own accord! I won't let anyone decide my fate! I won't be forced to do anything! I decide how my journey goes! Not Carmilla! Not the Six Paladins! Not even Angelica! And sure as hell not you!"

Death looked so shocked. He didn't react at all, until I lifted the blade across my chest in front of me. Placing my right hand onto the hilt of the blade, I started to concentrate until the fires of the gauntlet appeared. "Diabolo Anathema." I traced my hand across the sword, covering the blade with the black flames until it was completely covered with the dark fire. "Tenebris Ignis Gladio!"

The orbs of light that were Death's eyes seemed to brighten in absolute rage. "A MERE HUMAN HAS THE GALL TO USE THE MASTER'S TECHNIQUE?! DOES YOUR BLASPHEMY KNOW NO BOUNDERIES?! I SHALL FEAST ON YOUR SOUL FOR YOUR HERESY, YOU INSIGNIFICANT MAGGET!"

The two of us raised our respective weapons, concentrating. Death's scythe started to glow with the same purple light that enveloped the moon. With his eyes now completely red, he charged at me. "SOUL REAPER!" As he charged at me, I closed my eyes. Time seemed to slow down around me. I could feel the power coursing through me. "Black Skill:" Death seemed to have be showing another emotion besides rage. "Light..." I slowly opened my eyes to look into his. He was now showing fear. "SLASHER!" With all of my strength, I slashed down at the god. A wave of darkness shot from my sword. It completely shattered Death's dimension. Not only that, it completely destroyed the purple light that surrounded us. It was like the light was completely shattered, as if it were made of glass. The blast didn't stop. It kept on traveling, until it was completely out of sight, leaving nothing but darkness and destruction in it's path. Death took the full brunt of the attack. He was slowly disappearing, along with the darkness I had created. "Curse you, Adelram Umbra. This will not be our last meeting." That was the last thing he said before disappearing.

The light of the full moon returned, illuminating the entire goblin village. I saw Sharn, staring at me with awestruck eyes. Before she could speak, we heard cheers all around us.

"That was amazing!"

"Did you see that?!"

"They took on ghosts!"

"Forget that! That human just took on Death himself! And won!"

That's right. I had taken on an actual god. Not just any god, but one who rules over death. The one who decides who lives and who dies. I had... beaten Death.

I saw Frokz running towards me, yelling something. Yet, I couldn't hear him. Everything was getting fuzzy. Distorted. I felt like I was falling, but Sharn caught me before I could hit the ground. Before she could ask me what was wrong, there was a growl so loud, that the entire village must have heard it. It was my stomach. "So damn hungry."

Frokz would have bought me a feast, but the village beat him to it. They wanted to reward me on my new powers and my victory over the current strongest Dark General. Their food was delicious. I couldn't stop eating at all. I stuffed pretty much everything in range into my mouth, only stopping when I started to choke, just to use a mug of beer to wash it down. Sharn was also eating ferociously, but she might as well have been an aristocrat in comparison to my eating. The entire village was enjoying themselves. Even the king joined in. At the end, most of the goblins either went home or just decided to use the ground as a bed. Sharn, Frokz, and I were the only ones still fully awake. The two of us were preparing to leave with Frokz seeing us off.

"So, Rammy, where are you off to now?"

"I'm off to find that sword. See why it was so important that it was included in the memories of the Diabolo Anathema."

Frokz didn't say anything at first, though he did have a look of worry. "Kid, you better stay safe. I heard what Death said to you. There's no way he's just gonna leave you alone."

"I know, but I am prepared." I showed him the Diabolo Anathema to emphasize my point. "Besides, I have Sharn to make sure I don't get into too much trouble. When I said that, she swung her left arm around my neck. "Damn right you do. Don't worry, Frokz. I'll be sure to keep our human nice and safe."

Frokz seemed to have taken comfort in that. "Good luck you crazy kids. And give your old Uncle Frokz a visit from time to time!"

"Will do, old friend. Well, let's get going, Sharn." With that, I picked her up, bridal-style. "Oh no. Not again." She wrapped her arms around my neck. A look of dread on her face. Frokz looked confused. "Good-bye, Frokz." With that, I used the power of my boots to practically vanish, leaving behind only the sounds of Sharn's cute, fearful scream.

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

We all jumped out of a the path of wave of darkness. As it disappeared, there was nothing left of where it crossed. The trees and foliage that were once there was nonexistent. It was if the darkness completely erased it. Master Hammer was the first to speak. "What in the name of the Holy Father was that?!" None of us had an answer. That was way to powerful. What could have possible. . . . . . Adelram. He must have gotten another artifact. Master Grant brought me out of my musings. "Well, whatever is was, it left a conveniently smooth path. Anyone wanna bet that it'll lead us to Adelram?"

Master Grant was right. The path was smooth and large enough for Master Hammer's motorcycle, with more than enough room for Master Grant to run. There were no trees to impede my and Sypha's flight. It was the perfect path. Adelram had pretty much given us a golden path that lead right to him. I used an echolocation spell to locate him. "Found him. He's not that far. We should be able to reach him in ten mi-" N-no way.

"Trevor? Dear, what's wrong?"

"S-such speed." Sypha's confused look was practically begging me for answers. "He has just left. He's reached another location in less than a minute. It will take us thirty minutes at the least to reach him now." All but Master Grant were shocked to hear this. Master David voiced his opinion. "He went that far that quickly?"

"Told ya the kid got faster."

Master Grant did praise his newfound speed, but this was beyond even his description. Victory is becoming ever slimmer. We must hurry. Master Hammer had already summoned his motorcycle, with Master Shanoa and Master David getting into their respective seats. Master Grant had prepared himself for the run, while Sypha and I cast the flight spell upon us. When ready, we traveled as quickly as we collectively could. We needed to reach our target as quickly as possible, before it becomes too powerful for us to handle.

* * *

Death returned to his realm severely wounded, using his scythe as a crutch, only to be greeted with the sight of Carmilla leaning against the darkness with her arms crossed under her breasts. "As I expected. I knew you'd return with your tail between your legs."

"Be silent, Carmilla. I have no need of hearing your criticisms."

"So I see. I warned you of his power, yet you refused to heed my warnings. At least I did something more productive while you were out being humiliated by that human."

Death was curious about what she meant. When he turned his gaze toward her, he saw her reach into the darkness, and threw something toward him. At his feet lay, "Cornell? And what use would this mutt be to me? He can no longer be an adequate vessel for His Majesty."

"Look at his claws, you bone-headed fool."

Ignoring the insult, Death looked towards Cornell's hands. It was covered in blood, but not just anyone's blood. "The blood of Adelram Umbra."

"Yes, and I'm quite certain you still have IT."

"Hm, the boy's body would been far more convenient, though his blood shall still accomplish the task at hand." Cornell was beginning to stir. He hated those two as much as he hated the Dark Lord, so hearing them talk about accomplishing any form of "task" could spell any number of problems for him and his clan. "What are you two abominations talking about?" Death looked down at Cornell, eyes glowing brightly. "Why, we are talking about the resurrection of our Lord and Master. The return of the Dark Lord."

Cornell's blood ran cold. That'd be absolutely horrible. His clan would be tormented by the Devil once more. His wife, his children, his brother, his sister, the youths and the elders of the clan. They'd all be forced to serve the ultimate evil. "DO YOU HONESTLY THINK I'LL LET YOU BASTARDS DO THAT?!"

Cornell tried to jump toward Death, just to try and slash off his skull from his spine, only to have his head slammed into the ground by Carmilla. "Do you honestly think you can stop us?" She was grinning sadistically, reveling in the pain and despair Cornell was showing.

Death walked over toward the restrained wolfman. "You should be overjoyed, Cornell. Our Lord shall finally return to us." Cornell looked up from the ground, looking at Death with nothing but pure hatred. "THAT MONSTER IS NOT MY LORD!" Death just stared at Cornell, eyes completely devoid of anything. "Hmph, no matter. Though you reject him, he shall still reward you. After all, it will be thanks to you that he shall return."

"WHAT?!"

With that said, Death raised his hand. Out from the darkness rose a coffin. The door fell to the ground, revealing a skeleton in noble garb. The skeleton's elegant clothing was adorned with a stone in the center of the collar. It was as red as blood. Though it was nothing but bones, one could still sense it. The near unlimited power of darkness surrounding it. Even in death, his body still held so much power. "The corpse of the Dark Lord."

"Yes, Cornell. I would never allow those pathetic mortals to desecrate his body. Oh, my Lord, my Prince; even in this state, you still radiate your awesome power. Do not fret, my Master. You will return to this world, for Cornell has brought the key to your revival."

Cornell was confused. What was Death talking about? Then, he felt his hands being raised against his will. Death was forcing Cornell to walk towards the skeletal body of the Dark Lord, and had him jab his claws into the corpse's abdomen. Then, he saw it. The blood on his claws... was being absorbed. . . . . . His blood. The blood of that boy. That's what they meant.

Carmilla began to speak, telling Cornell his worth. "You did something that neither Death nor I were able to do Cornell. You made Adelram bleed. That was the catalyst. That is what we can use to bring our Lord back. The boy's body would have been preferable, since a few drops of blood will only slowly resurrect him. Still, it's better than nothing at all. And to think, we never would have gotten this... had you not fought the boy. Had you avoided him, had you ran from him, had you never have even so much as sensed him, we would have never gotten the blood infused with the Dark Lord's power. It's all thanks to you."

The words cut Cornell deeply. Deeper than any blade would ever hope to cut. It's his fault. He brought back the Dark Lord. He would bring suffering to his people. He could sense it now. Life returning to the one being he hated more than anything. His people would suffer by this devil's hands, and it's his fault. Now knowing his failure, he released a cry. A cry filled to the brim with anguish and defeat. It was like music for Carmilla. To Death, it was a sign. The signal of the return of his Master.

"Oh, my Prince! I wait anxiously for your return! When you are brought back to your former glory, God's light will be destroyed! And with his return, your DEATH... WILL BE ASSURED, ADELRAM UMBRA!"

 **A/N: Damn. I am evil. I just won't give Cornell a break. All he wanted was the peace and safety of his clan, but now comes the being that'll end the century long peace he enjoyed with his family. Not even his immortality bothered him, as long as he could watch their clan have happy lives. To add insult to injury, he's technically the one who ended that peace. Sure, it's Adelram's blood that started the resurrection, but Carmilla was barely able to scratch him, and most of Death's attacks involved magic that wouldn't draw blood. It was Cornell's claws that caused Adelram to bleed, and of course, gave Death and Carmilla the one element they needed to bring back the most dangerous and powerful Dark Force in the world. That's the exact thing the Paladins were hoping to prevent. Now, Adelram has one hell of an enemy, but he's none the wiser. No one even knows that he's going to come back, even thought it'll take a hell of a long time for him to completely resurrect. Still, Adelram's gonna have one hell of a fight on his hands in the near future, but it's not exactly all sunshine and rainbows right now for him anyway. What did the Diabolo Anathema show him? Who were those witches? Most importantly, will Adelram be strong enough to fight the Dark Lord when he's fully revived? He may have his powers, but Adelram himself admitted that he hasn't fully mastered them. Good luck, kid. Oh, and I'm not exactly the most philosophical guy, so if Adelram's speech to the Fallen Angels (or Dark Angels, whatever you want to call them) seems forced, boring, stupid, lame, lazy, or any other negative thing you can think of; sorry. I just think it's a dumb trope for everything involving darkness to be evil. Besides, there's a lot of beauty in the dark. Look at the full moon. Google Image nocturnal animals, and those things are adorable. Have you ever seen a fox-faced bat? Unbearably cute! Looks like a damned puppy with wings! Well, let's end my mad rambling. See you guys next chapter!**


	12. Chapter 10

It took me about a minute to reach the outskirts of the destination. For some reason, I thought it'd be better to walk the rest of the way there. While nursing a newly formed swelling on my head, courtesy of a certain beauty, Sharn and I walked through the forest.

It felt... different. The Southern Plains had a cool, relaxing aura to it; comparable to a spring night. This area felt so... warm. Like a peaceful summer day. It felt so comforting, so inviting, so kind, so... holy.

After walking for a few minutes, we reached a clearing. It was so beautiful. The light of the moon was shining at it's brightest. It was if the light was actually touching the ground. At the center of the clearing was a large, crystal-clear, shimmering lake. It was sparkling from the moon light. I summoned an empty bottle, and dipped it into the lake. I took a sip from the bottle. The water was so delicious. It tasted so clean and cool. I gave Sharn my bottle for her to try it herself. "It's so sweet. This is the first time I've had water this satisfying." I took this as a chance to fill my empty bottles with as much of the water as possible. We were running dangerously low, so this was quite convenient. I would almost believe that we were being looked after. Almost. Unfortunately, I don't think He would approve of my journey.

While I was filling the bottles, I heard something coming towards us from the opposite side of the lake. For the sake of caution, I grabbed Sharn and hid behind one of the trees, much to her objection. Out of the woods came a giant, stone-skinned troll. It was covered in blood. Must have gotten into a fight with a Diablo Tiger. I couldn't help but chuckle at my own over-cautious nature. I had more than enough power to kill one of them now. Though, I'm glad I filled up all of our bottles. The brute got much of the blood it was covered in into the once clean lake.

Once it had quenched it's thirst, I made my presence known. Once it saw me, it let out a primal roar. I was prepared to fight it, until something strange happened. The troll just froze. It looked to be in some kind of pain. Looking down, I notice what looked like roots growing from the beast. Then, in an instant, the troll became a large and beautiful tree. It's silvery blossoms were shining brightly in the moon light. It looked like all the other trees surrounding the lake. The only trees in the entire Southern Plains that I have seen. I looked toward the lake, still so beautiful, despite the blood that now contaminated it. I couldn't help but think that it was the lake that turned the troll into the tree. Turning to Sharn, I could see in her eyes that she was thinking the same thing. Her eyes also asked the same question I was thinking. Why didn't the water affect us?

Even with these thoughts, I couldn't let this lake be desecrated by tainted blood. Gently keeping my hand above the crystal waters, I used my purity spell to expel the blood from the lake. I could sense no other contaminates. The lake was now as clean and pure as it was before.

"You see, my child? There is still so much good in your heart."

That wasn't Sharn's voice. I turned around quickly to try and see who it was, but there was no one. Sharn must have heard the voice as well, since she was searching for the owner. The voice was male. It sounded so kind, yet so powerful. Almost like the voice of a true father.

As we searched, something else occurred. The moonlight was becoming stronger in a certain pattern. There was a path illuminated by the light, leading deeper into the forest. I turned to Sharn for her opinion. With a nod of her head, we followed the path. After a short walk, we reached the entrance of a cave. Walking into the cave, we saw the walls sparkle with all kinds of crystals. The sight was breathtaking. When we reached the end of the cave, there was a large grotto. At the center was a large stone being bathed by the moonlight. Inside the stone was a sword. That must have been the sword from the Diabolo Anathema's memories. Now I could see it clearly, but I couldn't even believe my own eyes. Why was that sword here? After some of the best adventurers, explorers, and archaeologists spent years searching the Three Plains for this legendary sword, it was in the Southern Plains all this time. The only weapon to have ever rivaled the Diabolo Anathema.

The Deum Fidem.

I couldn't believe my eyes, but there it was. I had to get closer to it, just to study it. As I walked closer, I could feel the Diabolo Anathema getting riled up. Strangely enough, there was no animosity. In fact, it felt almost... happy. Almost like being reunited with it's sibling. I got close enough to actually visually study the sword. It was positioned and crafted to look exactly like a cross. The hilt of the blade seemed to be made of gold, the sides having a design that made it look as if it was wrapped in golden thorn bushes. The blade looked to be made of silver, with images of olive branches adorning both sides of the double-edged blade. At the center of the holy relic was the image of wings as white as the freshly fallen snow. It looked as beautiful as a newly discovered pearl. The sword... was a dazzling work of art that could only be crafted by the delicate hands of the messengers of God Himself.

"It's so beautiful. Adelram, what kind of sword is this?"

"This, my dear, is the Deum Fidem. The only weapon that can rival my Diabolo Anathema, and the sword that took the Dark Lord's life."

Sharn was shocked to hear this. She was standing before history. I couldn't help but tell her about the sword. The legend of it's craft. How it's said that it chooses it's master. Most importantly, I told her how the master of this sword is said to be God's chosen one.

"God? Which one? I don't think Death would create a sword to kill his Lord. Galamoth wouldn't depend on a human. Belobog certainly wouldn't do that either."

I couldn't help but shake my head. So those false gods are known in the Southern Plains? I can understand Death, since Sharn literally saw him, but the others were a surprise. "None of them. There is an ancient religion, that is still practiced to this day in the Three Plains. It speaks of a powerful being who existed before anything. This being decided to create. In the beginning, this being created the heavens and the earth. However, the earth was a a formless wasteland, shrouded by darkness with the winds sweeping the waters. So, God created the light. He saw how good the light was, but saw value in the darkness, so He separated them. He named the light 'day', and named the darkness 'night'. This was how He created the 'first day'. Next, He created a dome to separate the bodies of water. This dome separated the the water above from the water below. He named the dome the 'sky'. This was how He ended His 'second day'. Next, He gathered the waters under the sky into a single basin, so that dry land may appear. He called the basin of water the 'sea', and the dry land 'the earth'. He did not stop there. He had the earth bring forth vegetation. From the trees to the seeds. He even brought those disgusting Brussels Sprouts." That got a giggle out of Sharn. At least I knew she was listening to me. "That was how He ended His third day. Then, He created the 'Two Great Lights' to govern the day and the night. The brighter light, the sun, governed the day; while the lesser light, the moon, governed the night with the aid of the stars. This was how He ended His fourth day. Then, He created life in the seas. From the mighty monsters that rule it's depths to the humble minnow that swims near the surface of the sea. Along with them, he created life in the sky, the birds that soar through the clouds. That was how He ended His fifth day. Finally, He created the beasts of the land. It was said that He created humans in His image. As such, He gave humanity dominion over the earth. That was how He ended His sixth day. Pleased with His completed work, the being rested on the seventh day, blessing it as the final day. He made it a holy day of rest. According to legend, this was how the being created existence as we now know it."

Sharn listened intently to my words, but she had a look of skepticism in her eyes. "Adelram, no god is that powerful. You yourself are living proof of how finite a god's power is. You defeated Death in single combat. The Dark Lord himself was considered a god, and you're slowly becoming just as powerful as he was, if not more." There was truth in her words. I have surpassed a god, but that meeting was more symbolic to me than she knew. If a dark god like Death was real, then why not Him?

"Sharn." She perked up at my voice, possibly curious about what I was going to say next. "Hundreds of thousands of years ago, there was an ancient civilization. It existed for hundreds of years, and survived thousands of years more. It had a god for everything. The sky, the sun, the river, the crops, and even a god for health. It was considered an empire. Most of it was thanks to the thousands of slaves it had. The slaves brought about a Golden Age for the citizens and king of the empire. However, they made one fatal mistake. These slaves were the chosen people of the Creator. This mistake would end their Golden Age, and bring about their darkest days. Though the being sent a messenger to give the king warnings, the king stubbornly refused, believing the gods of his land would protect him, his rule, and his people. The Creator proved him horrible wrong. The Creator sent Ten Plagues that showed just how much more powerful He was than the weak gods the king and his people worshiped. He turned the river into blood, taking away their supply of water. Next, he sent a swarm of frogs."

"Frogs?"

"Frogs. I know it doesn't sound all that impressive, but it was quite the nuisance for the people of the empire. Finally, the Creator caused the frogs to die. However, the corpses of the frogs caused a foul stench to overtake the empire. The next plague was gnats. The insects infested both man and beast. The fourth plague was of flies. The insects cloaked both the people and their homes. The fifth plague was pestilence. It caused the death of the empire's plants and cattle, completely destroying their food supply. The sixth plague was the boils. Painful, festering boils grew on all the citizens of the empire. The seventh plague was the most visually nightmarish. The Creator caused fire to fall from the heavens onto the empire's great city. The eighth plague was a swarm of locust. The empire used the slaves to recover their crops, but the locust ate all the grain that was promised to the empire. The ninth plague... was absolute darkness. The empire was completely devoid of light at this time. The tenth and final plague... was perhaps the darkest and most cruel. The death of the first born." Sharn's eyes actually widened in shock. A first born child was a precious thing. This must have applied to all species. "This final plague took the life of the king's son and his only heir. This was the final straw for the king... especially when he was informed that the slaves haven't suffered at all. He finally relented, and allowed the slaves to leave his land."

Sharn was looking down at the ground, contemplating. "If this god was so powerful, then where is He now? Why hasn't He made His presence known after all these years?"

"Because He was abandoned."

Sharn looked confused. "Even after all He has done for his people, all the gifts and miracles He had given them, all they ever did was complain. They would always demand more from Him, as if He were their servant instead of their God. Finally, they completely abandoned Him, in service to their own selfishness. Like an understanding father, God allowed His estranged children to do as they pleased, no longer involving Himself with their lives. He allowed them to do as they pleased. He has never intervened with human affair ever since. . . Well, almost never." When I said that, I looked towards the sword. It was actual proof of one of the extremely rare times God had given aid to humanity.

It truly was a work of grace. I could feel God's love radiating from the blessed blade. It was so warm and kind. I then took out my notebook and a pen and began to write in it.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm sketching the sword."

"What?"

"This is probably the closest I'll ever get to wielding the Deum Fidem. Might as well have some kind of memento to remind me of the day I had found the legendary sword of the Hero. Though, I have to admit, I'm not much of an artist. Angelica would have done a much better job."

"Angelica? Who's she?"

"She's my best friend." I could sense that I had peeked Sharn's interest. She even gave a hum of curiosity. "Remember when I told you and your father that I wasn't given any blessings to enter the Southern Plains? Angelica actually tried to stop me. She gave me one hell of a fight to prevent me from coming. I'll admit, it was a close fight, but I still won in the end."

"So there's a woman out there strong enough to challenge you? Interesting. I wouldn't mind meeting her one day. I'd love to go a few rounds with her."

"Well, you may have your wish granted sooner than you think. I gave her my blessings to come and drag me back home if she has the chance. She's literally the only person from my home I'd accept defeat from. Hell, she's probably the only person there who can beat me."

"If that's the case, then she's probably the only person who can wield this sword."

I actually stopped sketching when she said that. I hadn't even thought of that. The Diabolo Anathema chose me as it's master, so what's to stop the Deum Fidem from finding it's own? Now that I think of it, Angelica would be the perfect wielder. She was kind, graceful, had a strong sense of justice, and was my rival. She'd be the perfect person to challenge me... should I ever become the Dark Lord. I don't want to become the next Lord of Darkness, but fate has a strange way of working. It already had most of his powers, so becoming his successor all together didn't seem all that far off.

As I thought of the various possibilities of the future, I finished my sketch. Personally, I think I could have done a better job.

"Looks really well done to me."

"Thank you, Sharn, but I don't think I captured the full essence of the sword's beauty." It really was a beautiful sword. Not the same dark beauty as my sword and armor. It had a more... bright and holy beauty to it. I couldn't help but subconsciously reach out to touch the blade. My finger was a few inches away from the wings of the blade.

"It truly is a beautiful sword."

Before I could react at all, Sharn was attacked. She was sent crashing into the wall of the grotto. She fell to the ground unconscious. Alive, but still unconscious and heavily wounded.

I wanted to help her, but I had to jump forward to avoid an attack from what looked like a whip. It was so bright. It was if it were made of light. I watched as the whip returned to it's master. A man... clad in golden armor.

"To think that it was here. Of all the places in the world, why would such a holy relic reside in this abominable place? Still, no matter what, I won't let such a pure weapon be tainted by the hands of a fiend like you."

Well, that was a bit harsh. I didn't expect to meet him her. Trevor Belmont. The current Golden Paladin. And he wasn't alone. Out of the shadows of the cave came the rest of the squad of elite knights. Sypha Belmont. In terms of magic fighting power, she'd give me one hell of a fight. Grant Danasty came out next. I was admittedly happy to see that he was well. He himself had a smirk, but his eyes told me he wished it hadn't come to this. Shanoa Ecclesia appeared next. I'll need to be careful around her. Those arrows could do some major damage if I let my guard down. Hammer was the next to appear. I'd recognize that height anywhere. He was one of the only ones wearing his helmet. He had his hammer in hand. The final Paladin showed himself, but kept his face hidden with his helm. Why did he not show himself?

"Well, this is a surprise. Though, I guess I can't say I wasn't warned about this outcome."

"Damn right you can't, kid." Guess I should have seen Grant's retort coming.

I didn't expect Trevor to speak next. "Adelram Umbra, you have committed an unforgivable crime against the light. You searched for the Dark Lord. We can only assume that you wish to resurrect him."

"Oh, for the love o- That's not what I-"

"SILENCE! Because of your crimes, we have been sent to exterminate any chance of that happening."

"So... we're gonna duel?" I wouldn't actually mind that. Me versus the Six Paladins. It'd be one hell of a fight, and would be a great way to see how powerful I've become during my journey.

"No. A duel would result in your safety, and prevent your death." I can see where this is going. "As such, we shall fight you. We will not rest until the warmth of life has completely left your accursed body."

Knew it. So, they're willing to go that far, huh? I guess the Dark Lord is really that terrifying. Admittedly, I don't want him to come back either, but I wouldn't go so far as to end the life of someone else. There'd be no confirmation that it would completely prevent his resurrection. Still, something tells me they won't go for that bit of logic. With a heavy sigh, I completely activated my powers with an explosion of darkness, leaving off only the helmet. The eyes of the Paladins widened in shock, and quite possibly fear. It only grew more so when I reached behind my back and pulled out the Diabolo Anathema from it's personal dimension.

"So... you aren't resurrecting the Dark Lord. You're becoming him."

"No."

"You will not bring back the evils of the darkness. I won't allow you to become the devil!"

"Like I said, that's not what I'm trying to do." Seriously, does this guy listen at all?

"Have at you, demon!" Guess not.

He charged at me with his whip in hand. I was able to dodge his first strike by bending backwards. I grabbed the whip before it got out of my range. With a strong yank, I swung Trevor around like a rag doll before I slammed him into the ground. The impact caused a dust cloud to emerge.

Before I could see what had happened to him, I had to dodge a lightning attack from Sypha. It was easy to do with my boots. Eventually, I started to gather energy into my right gauntlet. I knew I needed speed to hit her. My gauntlets must have sensed my intentions. Instead of the usual flame, I was holding black lightning in the palm of my hand. I shot at Sypha with blinding speed. She was able to conjure a shield, but the lightning completely destroyed it. The attack didn't hit her directly, but the sheer force caused her to fly back. She landed ungracefully and gave out a heavy grunt.

Grant appeared behind me, and threw countless blades at me, but I didn't move at all. The blades must have looked like they completely vanished before his eyes. He must have been so confused. I turned around to show him why his attack had no affect. Lifting my right hand, I dropped ever single knife he threw at me. He was dumbfounded. I then made a movement. To him, it must have looked like a feint. I could practically hear his thoughts. "Why the hell would he make a feint all the way over there?" He got his answer when he felt the pressure of a heavy fist strike his right cheek, then into his solar plexus. Then, a barrage of seemingly invisible strikes rained down on him at all directions. They were so numerous, fast, and powerful, that it eventually carried him into the air; almost as if he were floating. In actuality, I attacked him so quickly that his body wasn't able to register the damage quick enough. Now he's suffering from countless punches and kicks all at once. Once the barrage had ended, he fell to the ground, groaning from the punishment he had just received. "I'm gonna feel that one tomorrow."

Hammer was the next assailant. Despite his size, he was quite fast. He was swinging and twirling his hammer around as if it were a staff. I was able to see past his helmet and into his eyes. They looked so... sad. He was even... He was even crying. Those were not tears of rage for the harm of his comrades, nor were they tears of sadness for their defeat or harm. No. He was crying because of me. He was crying because he was fighting me. I can understand that quite easily. Hammer was one of the few people I had ever considered a friend. I greatly respected him as my mentor. He... was the last person I had ever wanted to fight in a situation like this. It was painful to see my old friend like this. I saw a chance to end our fight when he raised his hammer above his head. When he swung it down full force, I used my fist to stop the attack. When it was completely successful, I used his surprise as a chance to attack his abdomen. With the hilt of my sword, I had knocked the mighty man unconscious. Grabbing him by the neck, I threw him out of the vicinity of the fight to ensure his safety.

In the corner of my right eye, I saw the masked Stone Paladin prepare himself for combat. I was prepared to fight the warrior, until I felt something. A sharp, burning pain at the lower left side of my abdomen. I saw an explosion in front of me, at the same direction as where the pain originated from. I looked down to see a hole in my armor. It hadn't bled yet. The attack was to sudden for my body to realize it had been damaged. I tuned around to see where the attack had came from. I saw Shanoa, her eyes as sharp as the tip of her arrows. The string of her bow was still quivering, fresh from the arrow she had fired. I sensed the residue of magic from the bow. She had enchanted her arrow. That's how it was able to pierce my armor. I looked down at the wound to see that blood was starting to flow out of the wound, but something else had occurred. The armor was healing itself. Not only that, it was also healing me. The pain from the arrow was completely gone. I looked Shanoa in the eye. Her eyes were piercing. I took it as a challenge. Stabbing my sword into the ground, I summoned a bow. I was about to summon some arrows, but them I had an idea. Placing my hand at the arrow rest, I started to concentrate as I pulled back as if I was holding an arrow. The black fire appeared as I was pulling back my hand, forming an arrow with the flames. I had created a black flame arrow. Shanoa had already drawn an arrow, and started to charge it with holy energy. It was glowing a bright, white light. We both released our arrows at the same time, destroying my bow in the process. Guess I need to make a new one that can handle my black flame arrows. They clashed in a glorious spectacle of light versus shadow. My shadow eventually overpowered her light. It tore through her arrow and completely destroyed her bow. Though it had missed her completely, the shock-wave caused by the arrow's speed sent her flying into the wall. Her back was smashed into it, before she fell to the ground. She struggled to get back up, but the strain caused her to fall back onto her face.

I turned to the last, visibly standing, Paladin. He was holding his sword, ready to fight me. I took my sword out of the ground, and took my own stance. We ran toward each other, and our swords clashed. I wanted our fight to last as long as possible, so I didn't dare use the full power of the Diabolo Anathema. The warrior's swordplay was impressive, but it felt... empty. Like he didn't want to fight me at all. Eventually, I saw an opening. While the warrior was being hesitant, I struck at his helmet. The force of my attack caused the helmet to fly off his head, and threw him to the wall. I walked over to see who I was fighting. I was surprised to see who it was.

"David?"

The young boy looked up at me sheepishly.

"David Israel? Well, this is quite the surprise." I looked at the boy, studying him. I couldn't help but chuckle. "I was right about you." David looked so confused. "I told you you had quite a bit of potential. And you know what? I still sense more. You can grow even greater than you already are now." I couldn't help but give a large smile to the boy. His eyes started to sparkle. He even gave me a happy smile and a small chuckle, as if hearing that from me was the greatest honor he could have possible achieved. I extended a hand to help him to his feet. He was about to accept the gesture, until something happened.

I looked down at my left ankle to see that a whip of light had been wrapped around it. Before I could react, I was being swung around like a rag doll. I was being smashed against the walls of the grotto, eventually losing my grip on the Diabolo Anathema. It landed a few feet away from Sharn's head. After being bashed against the walls, I was finally smashed into the ground so hard that the force caused my body to bounce from the impact. While in midair, I was caught by some kind of spell. "Not even you can escape from that barrier, Adelram!" Sypha was the one who cast the spell. She then sent a barrage of elemental spells my way. Fire, water, wind, earth, and lightning attacked me relentlessly. When the attacks stopped, I heard Grant speak to me next. "Sorry about this kid, but I did give ya an easy way out." Then, blades in all directions started to strike at me. He must have had Sypha enchant them, since they were piercing through my armor. When the barrage of blades ended, I felt an arrow pierce my sternum. I was able to see Shanoa, using the wall as support to help her aim her bow. I wasn't able to fall to the ground, since Sypha summoned a pillar of lightning to keep me afloat. The pain was excruciating. So much so, that I let out a cry of pain. I was able to open my eyes enough to see Hammer charging at me with his hammer. He smashed his weapon into my abdomen with all of his strength. It was enough to crack a few ribs. "Adelram..." His voice was so shaky. "I hope you can forgive me one day." With that, he sent me flying. I skidded across the ground, and even skipped through it like a stone across a lake. It broke the arrow's shaft completely off, with the head still lodged into my chest. I was only stopped when my back smashed against the Deum Fidem. I was completely winded. I slid off the sword, covered in wounds. My armor was healing me, but I don't think it'll heal me fast enough. Through slightly blurred vision, I watched all six paladins walk toward me.

"You lose, Adelram. Accept your fate, and allow us to take your unholy life."

"I'd rather you not, Trevor."

"You make it sound like you have a choice. Master David! Come forward!" I was confused as to why he called David. David looked just as confused, but complied with a salute and a sir. "Unsheathe your sword, and slay the demon before you." We were both shocked by what Trevor just ordered David to do. Though, my shock quickly turned to rage. "That's just low, Trevor." He looked at me with hatred in his eyes. "It's obvious that you want to kill me more than any of the other Paladins combined, so why are you forcing David to deliver the final blow? Have you no honor?!"

"DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT HONOR, ABOMINATION!"

We both stared at each other in the eyes, unblinking and unflinching. Trevor took a deep breath to calm himself. "I saw the look in Master David's eyes when you praised him. How he almost accepted your hand. He must now prove to us that he hasn't been tainted by your evil."

"My evil? By the looks of it, it seems you've been tainted by something."

He glared at me before he started to speak. "You had the chance to be my successor. To have been the next protector of the Three Plains, along side that young woman. Instead, you chose to follow the path of darkness. This is why you must be slain. Master David, complete our mission.

He looked so reluctant. Still, like a dutiful soldier, he tried to comply with the order. His arms were shaking so badly. His eyes were filled to the brim with sadness and pain, as if this was the most difficult assignment he was ever given. I tried to tell him with my eyes that I held no resentment toward him. I even gave him a smile. That seemed to have further dampened his resolve. As he slowly brought his sword above his head, I closed my eyes and lowed my head. I would accept my fate. At least, I thought I would, until certain thoughts entered my mind.

Sharn. Nabenon. Frokz. Angelica. I'd be abandoning all of them. I'd be abandoning my quest. There was still so much more to learn. Then, I remembered my newly made enemies, Carmilla and Death. What forms of atrocities would the commit against my friends? Then, I remembered them. The Fallen Angels. I made a promise to them, and I was about to selfishly break it. If I was gone, who would protect them? Who would keep them safe from the likes of Carmilla or Death? Who would protect them from those who would do harm to them, just because they are children of the darkness? I heard David scream, forcing himself to swing down his sword. I... I can't die yet. No. Not yet. Not yet! NOT YET!

In that second, I grabbed the nearest object, and blocked David's sword. I heard a clash of steel. Was it my sword? No. It was planted near Sharn. Was it my gauntlet? No. I was gripping onto something. It couldn't be a tree branch or a stone pillar. There's no way either of them could make that metallic clash. I looked up to see the Paladins. Their eyes were so full of shock, as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing. When I looked up, I could see why. In my hand was... the Deum Fidem. I was holding, no, wielding the legendary sword of the hero who ended the Dark Lord's reign.

I was able to quickly recover from my initial shock. Using their surprised state as an advantage, I used my boots to run around all six of them. When a small vortex formed around them, I stopped to swing my sword upward. I expected a gust a wind. Instead, a pillar of light appeared. The light sent them upward, out of the grotto. The light did much more than that. It healed me. My broken ribs, my damaged skin, my cuts, the arrow in my chest, they were all gone. Using the power of my boots to reach the Paladins, I saw that they were all unconscious. Even though it was a permanent state of night in the Southern Plains, I could see as clearly as if it were day. I could also see so far away. I was even able to see our village, and most importantly, the village hospice. Concentrating the power of the Deum Fidem, I released a wave of light that should send them straight to the hospice. My vision returned to normal, and I could see my light traveling until it was nothing but a twinkle; until it finally disappeared.

I landed gracefully onto the ground. I brought the Deum Fidem up to my face, pointing the blade towards the ground. I couldn't understand it. This was supposed to be a holy sword that could only be wielded by God's chosen one. I already had the Diabolo Anathema. I had the power of darkness. I had the Dark Lord's armor. So why? Why did this sword choose me as it's new master?

"The blade is now yours, my child. Use it, along with it's brother, to bring peace to both the light and the darkness."

It was that voice again! I tried to turn fast enough to see who it was. There was no one. Still, I saw something incredible.

The stone that once held the sword started to morph. It had become a sheath. A simple bronze sheath. Yet, it still looked so beautiful. Even though it had no outward design, or pattern, or any symbols, it still looked so beautiful. I gently grabbed the sheath, and inserted the swo-... my new sword into it. I stared intently at the weapon, hundreds of questions rushing through my mind.

I was brought out of my thoughts by Sharn's moans. Placing the sword in it's own dimension, I ran towards Sharn. I placed the Diabolo Anathema in it's dimension before I examined Sharn. I used an advanced healing spell to help her recover from her injuries. Still, it'll be quite some time before she regains consciousness. With that in mind, I gently picked her up bridal-style. She surprised me when she slowly wrapped her arms around my neck. Only our third time doing this, and she's already doing this subconsciously.

I wasn't planning on running. We weren't that far from our next destination, so walking wouldn't be a problem. Besides, running at that speed wouldn't be any good for her. It'd probably worsen her condition.

With Sharn peacefully sleeping in my arms, I began to walk to our next destination. That was were the next milestone of my journey is waiting for me.

The Grimoire of the Dark Lord.

 **A/N: That's right. Adelram has both of the legendary swords. Also, if it wasn't already painfully obvious, I'm a Christian. Baptist if you want to be specific. Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not planning on using my story as a way to convert more people to Christianity. Have you ever read the Bible? Not as a Christian, but as an actual reader. There are so many interesting stories that are just begging to be referenced. Also, giving Adelram the Deum Fidem makes more Biblical sense if you think about it. If you read the Bible, you'll see that God always chooses the most unlikely people to do his works. He chose Noah, a man who lives in a desert, to build an ark that would protect his family and the creatures of the land from the Great Flood. Who chose Moses, a man who was raised as a prince of Egypt, to save his fellow Jews from the tyranny of the Egyptians. He had David, who was at the time a scrawny little pretty boy, kill the giant of a man Goliath. When you think in a Biblical way, wouldn't it make sense for God to give Adelram, a man who wields the power of darkness for good, the holy sword? Just a thought that popped into my head. I had always thought of giving Adelram the sword, but this is mostly to make it a legitimate reason instead of making him a Gary Stu (or whatever the male counterpart of Mary Sue is). Tell me what you guys think. Oh, and to those who might be interested, the spinoff, Fulfilling A Desire, has been updated. It's a great form of relief from this dark story. Remember kids, an embarrassed Angelica is a cute Angelica.**


	13. Chapter 11

"Are you sure you're at full health?"

"Of course! One week is more than enough time for me to heal! Arguably way more time than necessary."

"Still, going to the Southern Plains after being discharged seems a bit dangerous. Also, why not just put your trust in the Six Paladins? I'm sure they can bring back Master Adelram safely."

I couldn't stop myself from releasing a sigh. It seems I'm the only one who really knows Ram. That stubborn fool won't let anyone get in his way. The only way to convince him to do anything is to beat him in some way or form. "The Paladins will need my help to bring him back. Besides, I'm the only one he gave his blessings to bring him back home. I'll be just fine."

"I see. Well, please be safe, Master Angelica."

I gave the doctor a comforting smile and small goodbye wave before I walked out of the door. It was then that a small explosion occurred in front of the hospice. It brought the attention of the doctor and everyone else in the vicinity, especially when we found out what caused it.

When the smoke cleared, we saw the Six Paladins. They were all moaning and groaning. They were wounded, but their injuries didn't look very serious. Then, I heard Master Trevor groaning. It sounded like he was struggling to say something. I ran over to him to see what he was trying to say. "Master Trevor? Sir, what's wrong? What happened?"

"D-damn you."

What?

"Damn you, Adelram Umbra."

Ram?! What happened to him? Why was Master Trevor cursing him? I suppose I'll find out soon.

I helped the doctor and his nurses carry the injured Paladins into the hospice. As I thought, their injuries were not life threatening. Still, they seemed odd. Their bodies were giving off this strange energy. It was as if the energy was... healing them. It felt so warm. So holy. Why? Why did the energy remind me so much of Ram?

It took us half a day to heal the Paladins. Though the doctor thanked my healing magic, I knew that it wasn't just my power that advanced the healing process. It was that strange aura.

Eventually, the Paladins started to wake up, one by one. Only Master Trevor stayed asleep. Master David was the first to rise from his bed, holding his head. "Ow. You really are amazing, Adelram."

Once he said his name, I couldn't control myself. I ran straight towards Master David's bed. "YOU SAW RAM!?" I guess I scared him. He jumped in his bed and stared at me with startled eyes. "M-Master Angelica?" He started to look around, studying his surroundings. "This is the village hospice. How did I get here?" I told him how he and the Paladins came crashing in front of the hospice. I explained how they were treated, and how there was a strange aura that seemed to protect and heal them. He was listening to my words intently. When I was finished, he looked down, his expression hidden behind his hair. Then, he smiled.

"Even after what we had tried to do to you, you still cared about our safety." I didn't understand what he meant. I was going to ask him to further explain himself, until his head shot upward. His smile grew into a wide, toothy grin; eyes shining like stars. "You really are an amazing man, Adelram!"

I was about to ask him about Ram, but Master Grant spoke first. "Forget 'amazing', the guy's a damned enigma. I just can't figure that guy out."

"I don't think any of us can." Master Sypha struggled to sit up. "He certainly has become more powerful."

"That's an understatement." Master Shanoa had grabbed a bag of ice and placed it on top of her head. "I've never seen an arrow like that, let alone experience it's power first hand. That kind of power is unheard of."

"Well, it is Adelram." Master Hammer was completely erect. He tried to get out of his bed, until a couple of nurses gently pushed him back down. "If you knew the kid before, you'd know that he has a way of surpassing people's expectations. I'm the kid's mentor, so I know what I'm talking about."

"Still, you can't deny how amazing he is." Master David was speaking again, with the same excitement as a child meeting his idol. "It's supposed to be an incredibly difficult task to fight just one Paladin, but he took on all six of us at once!"

"Easy, kid. Remember that we were trying to kill him." That got my attention! Master Grant must not have known I was in the room, since his eyes widened when he saw me. "Oh, crap."

"You were trying to WHAT?! AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE FOUGHT ALL SIX OF YOU?! EVEN YOU, MASTER HAMMER?!" Master Hammer looked away. He couldn't look me in the eyes. Still, I could still see the shame in his eyes.

I was so confused. They were supposed to bring him back home, not try to kill him! I heard a sigh, and turned to see that it was Master Shanoa. "I guess we don't have a choice."

"Master Shanoa-"

"Master Sypha, she's gonna find out eventually. We might as well tell her now."

"Tell me what?" Master Shanoa looked me in the eye. Her eyes were still sharp, but they looked so afraid. She took a deep breath before she spoke again. "Master Angelica... we were ordered to kill Adelram by the Three Ministers."

I was shocked. The Three Ministers were the highest governing forces of the Three Plains. One dwarf, one human, and one elf comprised the trio. It is said that they are able to witness all of the current events of the Plains through an extremely powerful spell. It was used to protect the Plains from any sort of disaster, from the forces of nature to acts of potential war. It was thanks to their judgment that the Three Plains have never experienced true turmoil. Things like earthquakes, tsunamis, and twisters would always be prevented before they were to even occur, since the Three Ministers would always send the adequate number of sorcerers to prevent them. Crime was next to non-existent with the omnipotent vision of the Three Ministers. Any form of coup or terrorism couldn't even get off the ground with those three in power. They have even employed myself and Ram for many of those missions.

"Why?! Why would they want Ram dead?!"

Master Shanoa looked at her fellow Paladins, as if hoping they would have the right answer. Eventually, Master Sypha spoke next. "It's because they found about his quest. The Southern Plains are the only areas the Three Ministers can't see into. They were afraid Adelram might resurrect the Dark Lord. To prevent this, they believed that the only way to prevent that was with Adelram's death; so we were sent to... execute him."

I was horrified. I had so much respect for the Three Ministers and the Six Paladins, and now I find out that they not only tried to kill the person I was closest to but lied to me about it? I felt so... betrayed.

"I'm sorry for lying, Master Angelica." I looked at Master David. I couldn't believe that he would participate in something so... so... evil. He had the most respect for Ram. He even admitted that it was thanks to Ram that he was a Paladin. "But there's something else you need to know! Something important!" I was afraid to know what he was going to say next. "He found it!"

"What?"

"Master Angelica, Adelram found the Deum Fidem."

I was absolutely stunned. A nurse who was carrying a tray of food drooped the tray out of pure shock. The doctor even froze completely.

"That's not even the end of it. He was able to wield it! Master Angelica, the sword chose him. He's the new hero!"

Ram has the Deum Fidem? I felt like time just stopped right then and there. I felt something wet on my cheeks. I was crying. I was crying, but they weren't tears of sadness. They were tears of joy. Ram. My Ram. My Adelram. My Adelram... is the new chosen hero. I was so happy to hear that. The tears just kept on flowing. I was so happy!

"NO, HE'S NOT!"

All eyes turned to Master Trevor. He was now awake, but he looked furious.

"THAT MONSTROSITY IS NOT THE CHOSEN HERO! IF ANYTHING, HE'S THE NEW DARK LORD!"

Monstrosity?! How could he say something so cruel about Ram?! Also, why did he call Ram that? The new Dark Lord?

As I was wondering what he meant by that, Master Trevor got out of his bed. He tried to leave the room, only for Master Sypha to stop him and try to calm him down. "My love, you need to calm down."

"CALM DOWN?! ADELRAM IS STILL OUT THERE, BECOMING MORE POWERFUL AS WE SPEAK! WHO KNOWS HOW MUCH OF THE DARK LORD'S POWER HE HAS NOW?!"

The Dark Lord's power? I was so lost. I needed answers. I turned towards Master David and asked him what Master Trevor meant. He looked down before he spoke. "Master Angelica, the Deum Fidem wasn't the only legend that chose Adelram as it's new master. He. . . He also found the armor of the Dark Lord, and we even saw him wield the Diabolo Anathema."

"WHAT?! BUT THAT'S THE NAME OF THE DARK LORD'S SWORD! HOW IS IT THAT RAM HAS THAT SWORD?!"

"That doesn't matter. What does matter is the fact that the demon now has the sword of the Dark Lord. I highly doubt he's finished, so we must leave immediately to kill him." Master Trevor was so determined to kill Ram. Master Sypha tried to calm him down, tell him that they needed more rest before they could even think of entering the Southern Plains again. "YOU SAW JUST HOW POWERFUL HE HAS BECOME! YOU SAW HIM IN THE DARK LORD'S ARMOR!"

"I ALSO SAW HIM WIELD THE DEUM FIDEM!"

Master Trevor's eyes widened. His eyes were filled with... denial. Like he couldn't accept the thought of Ram using the sword. With rage filling his eyes, he pushed Master Sypha out of his way, and tried to leave. Master Grant got up and slammed him against the wall. "TREVOR! WILL YOU CALM DOWN ALREADY?!" The two stared at each others eyes, both snarling at one another. "Ever since the Three Ministers told us about Adelram, you've been acting like a man possessed. It's actually gotten worse ever since that kid got that fucking sword! YOU'VE NEVER ONCE RAISED YOUR HAND AGAINST SYPHA, LET ALONE PUSH HER OUT OF YOUR WAY! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

Master Trevor's eyes were so wide. He couldn't even speak, but his eyes were still so angry. It looked like they were filled with more rage when Master Grant mentioned the sword. ". . . Trevor. . . Does this have anything to do with your ancestry?"

His ancestry? What does Master Trevor's ancestors have to do with this? I asked Master Grant what he meant. He looked at me before he sighed. "Our dear Trevor here... is a direct descendant of the hero, Candor."

I was shocked to hear that. Master Trevor was blood related to the hero? The man who slew the Dark Lord? The first wielder of the Deum Fidem? I looked at Master Trevor for confirmation. He looked away, looking at the ground to avoid eye contact with anyone. Was... was Master Trevor jealous of Adelram?

"My ancestry is of no importance." He looked up before he spoke again. What is important is the mission. I have recovered fully, so I will now hunt down the target. I'll deliver the finishing blow myself." He left when he said that.

I wasn't about to allow that to happen. It's bad enough that Adelram was betrayed by our own leaders, but the leader of the Paladins actually lied to me so they could proceed with this despicable mission. I followed him out of the hospice.

"Master Trevor!"

He kept on walking.

"MASTER TREVOR!"

He didn't even slow down. That caused me to grit my teeth a bit.

"TREVOR BELMONT! I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL!"

He actually stopped to look at me. He looked aggravated. "How dare you waste my time? I am on an important mission. I will not waste my time on something as foolish as a duel." He began to walk away.

"I should have known a coward like you would reject an honorable duel."

He stopped immediately. He turned around, aggravation replaced with anger.

"You accepted a dishonorable mission. You lied to me so you'd have no obstacles in the way of your mission. I bet you never even fought Ram on your own. He was strong enough to defeat all of you, and knowing him, he probably didn't even use his full power. How could you possibly hope to beat him? In fact, if you can't even defeat me, YOU'LL NEVER EVEN COME CLOSE TO BEATING ADELRAM!"

"AND WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN, CHILD?!"

I was already taking my prayer stance, ready to say my conditions. "I've fought Adelram on numerous occasions. I'm the only one who's ever gotten him to fight seriously. I know his fighting styles, his techniques, his strategies, his spells, and how he thinks on the battle field. No one knows him better than I do. Besides, I'm the only one he's ever given permission to come after him. He knows that I'm the only one strong enough to beat him, no matter how powerful he becomes. Trevor Belmont, this is my desire: should I emerge victorious, I will abandon your mission and bring Adelram back home... ALIVE."

Master Trevor... no, Trevor Belmont looked at me with so much rage. People started to surround us, including the doctor, his nurses, and the other Paladins. Finally, Trevor rose the barrier and took his prayer stance. "If you're so confident in your abilities to defeat Adelram, then this is my desire: should I emerge victorious, you shall aid us in our search of Adelram Umbra... and you shall help us KILL HIM."

We both agreed to the others desire. There's no way I'll lose to this man. I will bring Ram back. I don't care what I need to do. I will NOT let him die! When we were both prepared, we uttered the phrase that began our duel.

"HAVE AT YOU!"

Our duel started with a clash of fists. Compared to Ram's fist, Trevor's felt so... light. It didn't even come close to the heaviness of his fist. I was able to easily over power Trevor's fist. While he was disoriented, I kicked him into the wall of the barrier.

He looked up with anger, before he summoned his light whip. He tried to strike me, but I was easily able to dodge all of his strikes. I know that I was always faster than him, but Ram was way more quick than this. Trevor's whips might as well have been moving in slow motion. At least I had to actually try to dodge Ram's attacks, but this was pathetic. I was able to easily run to Trevor and disarm him. I then gave him one of Ram's favorites, an uppercut. I remembered the rest of Ram's combo. While Trevor was floating in the air, I grabbed his leg and started smashing him into the ground. When I felt he had enough, I through him across the designated area. He was only stopped when his back smashed against the wall. He struggled to get up, a look of determination in his eyes.

The fight continued like this. It was so... one-sided. Ram was way more difficult. No matter how I look at it, there's no way this man could have beaten Ram by himself. Even if Ram didn't have the Dark Lord's powers, he would have easily destroyed this man if he was serious. Ram... would have easily become the new Golden Paladin.

I finally decided to end the fight. I used the same punch that was supposed to help me beat Ram. Trevor fell down, completely unconscious and defeated. I had won our duel.

People were dumbfounded. I could actually sense their amazement. They had just witnessed me completely defeat the Golden Paladin. The next moment must have surprised them even more. Trevor's armor started to shine. It then seemed to disperse from his body and fly onto mine. Trevor was now lying on the ground, with nothing but a pair of pants. I, however, was now wearing the Armor of the Golden Paladin.

That's what happens when a Paladin is beaten in an honorable duel. Their armor switches to the victor. Should a Paladin ever die in combat or of any other cause, the armor returns to the Three Ministers, so that it can be given to the Stone Paladin. Should a Stone Paladin die, the Ministers decide who the next Stone Paladin will be. The armor isn't just for show and rank. They are said to have been enchanted by Fatin herself. The armor increases all of the natural abilities of it's wearer. How much so is unknown. Some say ten-fold. Others say one hundred. In the end, it still strengthens the user. I would need this power to go after Adelram. No, I'm going to need it to beat him.

I turned towards the other Paladins, looking them straight into their shocked eyes. "I... am now the new Golden Paladin. These are my orders: I will venture into the Southern Plains to bring back my idiot. Should you choose to accompany me, I will not stop you. However, I am not going there to kill him, but to drag him back home. Should you stand in my way, I shall do what I must."

The Paladins looked at each other, before Master Sypha spoke. "Master Angelica, this act could be considered treason against the Three Ministers."

"I honestly do not care." They looked so shocked when I said that. Many of the townspeople gasped in response. "The Ministers betrayed both myself and Adelram when they ordered you to kill him." This information caused the villagers to speak among themselves.

"The Three Ministers ordered Master Adelram's death?"

"Are they insane? He's one of the greatest heroes in the Three Plains."

"How many lives did that one man save?"

"Psh, I bet they're just afraid of him."

"What do you mean?"

"A guy as strong and powerful as Adelram? They probably thought he'd usurp them from power or something. You know what they say about power. Once you get a taste, you crave more."

"A guy like Adelram could easily take that power away."

The gossip went on like this. In a way, they were right. Though Ram doesn't like to be in a leadership position, he could make an amazing leader by himself. Still, it'd be best to not let them know why the Ministers wanted him dead. A riot could have ensued.

I looked at the Paladins, waiting for their answer. Master Sharn sighed before she spoke. "I... don't approve of the mission. I have met Adelram only once, and I sensed no evil from him. No malicious intent. I... I believe he can still be saved without bloodshed."

I smiled at Master Sypha's answer. Master Grant spoke next. "No way am I gonna kill 'im. The bastard had two chances to kill me. TWO! He didn't take either of them. It'd leave a horrible taste in my mouth if I repaid his mercy with murder. Still, I owe him at least one good punch! Can you allow me at least that, Master Golden Paladin?" I couldn't stop the giggle. I personally wanted to punch Ram for causing so much trouble, so I couldn't exactly reject Master Grant's request.

I looked at Master Shanoa. She had her arms crossed while looking away. ". . . He had three chances to kill me, all of them were during our first fight. He's able to create arrows made of black fire now. They're ridiculously powerful. It obliterated my holy arrow completely. What's even more insulting is that he didn't even aim at me when he beat me. He aimed for my bow. Not only did he destroy my favorite bow, but the force sent me flying into a stone wall. Worst of all... I could tell he was holding back. He wasn't even serious! I want to beat him! Just once in an archery contest! I can't do that if he's dead! I want to bring that jerk back alive!" She was so full of determination. She was serious about bringing Ram back, and for a contest of all things.

I looked at Master Hammer next. He had such a big, happy smile. "You don't have to worry about me, Angelica. I don't want Adelram to die, treason or not. Though, when all's said and done, he's gonna work in my shop for a year as punishment. Deal?" He extended his hand. Speaking from experience, working for Master Hammer is seriously hard. Even Ram will be pushed to the limit. It's a more than suitable punishment. I shook his hand, and accepted his fair condition.

Master David was next. He was crying, but he was also smiling. "Master Angelica... Thank you." I had to fight back my own tears when I saw that.

I had placed Trevor back into the hospice. For safety's sake, I placed a sleeping spell on him that should keep him asleep for at least a week. That should be more than enough time for us to bring Ram back.

Walking outside, I saw that all of the other Paladins were ready, wearing their armor proudly. I cast a flight spell on myself. "Soldiers, we are about to enter the Southern Plains for one reason: to bring back Adelram Umbra alive! Are all of you prepared?!"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

"Good! Then, let the mission begin!"

With that, we were gone. We're coming, Ram. We will bring you back home.

 **A/N: ANGELICA IS BACK! Not only that, but she's the new Golden Paladin. Adelram's gonna be in for it when she reaches him. Still, that was pretty low of the Three Ministers. Oh well. There not that important to the story anyway. This is probably the first and last time they're ever gonna get a mention. Anyway, I know Angelica's duel with Trevor wasn't all that impressive, but that's the point. Angelica was able to go toe-to-toe with Adelram by herself. Trevor needed the help of his fellow Paladins to beat him. That's one-on-six. Not very impressive, Trevor. Let's see if Angelica will have any luck in reaching Adelram before he gets into too much trouble.**


	14. Chapter 12

I was getting closer to our destination, Sharn still sleeping peacefully in my arms with hers still wrapped around my neck. Her sleeping face was so close to mine. I couldn't help but steal a glance at her. Even though she's such a proud and powerful warrior, when asleep, she looks so pure and innocent. Such a beautiful sight. She started to stir. Slowly, her eyes started to open.

"Good morning, gorgeous."

She looked up at me with sleepy eyes. When she saw my face, hers turned a darker shade of green. Her face practically glowed an emerald green when she looked down to see I was carrying her in my arms. "D-d-d-d-d-do you enjoy carrying me or something!?"

I couldn't help but give her a teasing grin. "Maybe."

She was really blushing now. "PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW, YOU IDIOT!"

I complied. When she was back on her feet, she straightened out her clothes before giving me a quick, blushing glare. With a huff, she started to walk. I must be some kind of closet sadist. I can't help but tease people like her. It's times like this that Sharn reminds me of Angelica. Now that I think about it, those two are a lot alike. They're both beautiful, strong, honorable, and they're both able to hurt me. That last part got a chuckle out of me.

"And what, pray tell, is so funny?"

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all."

She gave me a skeptical look before she continued walking. She really is a lot like Angelica. I wonder how she's doing?

"Why were you caring me, anyway?" I told her how she was knocked unconscious by a surprise attack from the Six Paladins. She told me how it was disgraceful for the supposed "greatest soldiers in the land" to use such a tactic, but even more so that she easily fell for it. She asked me what happened next. All I told her was that I defeated the Paladins, leaving out the part with the Deum Fidem. I myself am still skeptical about that. I'll need to figure out how I was able to pull out the sword, and why it chose me as it's master.

When we reached the outskirts of our destination, we stopped to marvel at it. The trees were huge. The leaves completely blocked the moonlight, so much so that it looked pitch black. I felt a bit excited. Who knows what's in there? Well, besides of course the Dark Lord's Grimoire and a clan of witches.

"Adelram? What exactly are we looking for in here?" Oh, right. I never told Sharn about that. When I explained what was waiting for us, she reacted in a rather interesting way. "WITCHES?! Adelram Umbra, have you lost your mind?! Do you realize how powerful a witch is?! I know you're a powerful sorcerer, but witches are in a whole other category! Your magic is limited, but a witches magic is endless! They know more than just spells! They know hexes, curses, and dark magic that not even you can handle! You really want to challenge that?!"

Okay, I'll admit, witches are sounding a lot more scary after hearing Sharn's explanation. "I'm hoping I won't. I'm not her for a witch hunt, Sharn. They have something, and I'm hoping they'll give it to me peacefully. I should be able to trade at least something or complete one task. Besides, I don't exactly have a choice. This is the last place I know to go so that I can continue my journey. I'd need to come here eventually. Plus, we've survived vampires, werewolves, and reapers. After all the things we've been through, we should be able to survive witches, right?"

She still looked skeptical, but still agreed. When we both mentally prepared ourselves, we took our first step into the territory. When we did, we were hit with a wave of power. All of the hairs on my body stood straight up. All of my instincts were at high alert. I was so... afraid. I had fought orcs, vampires, werewolves, and even Death himself; yet I had never felt this level of fear before in my entire life. Even Sharn was shaking, gripping her daggers tightly. Just how powerful were these women? Still, I can't let something like fear stand in the way of my journey.

We continued to walk into the dark forest, slowly adapting to the tense and dark atmosphere. Eventually, we reached a clearing. There were still leaves and branches blocking the moonlight, but there were also other things as well. Huts. Huts on the ground and huts in the trees. Were these the home of the witches?

"My, what a handsome young man."

We turned toward the direction of the silky voice. It was a woman. Even in the darkness, I could still see how beautiful she was. Her clothes were skin tight and completely black. She wore glasses that covered but didn't hide her mesmerizing brown eyes. She was tall, perhaps taller than Sharn herself. She looked so young too. The mole beneath her luscious lips on the left side of her face only added to her beauty.

"Indeed. Quite a fine specimen."

"I think he looks quite adorable."

"He looks simply delicious."

"Shall we make him ours?"

Around us, more witches started to appear. They were all beautiful in their own right. Still, the first witch was the most beautiful of them all.

"Are you them?" The witches stopped talking among themselves, and gave me their full intention. They must have been curious about what I was going to ask them. "Are you the Umbra Witches?"

"Wha-!" I should have guessed Sharn would have reacted like that. Even I was surprised when I learned their names. The witches however... giggled.

"Indeed, we are." The first witch jumped down from her perch, and floated elegantly toward me. She towered over me. She used her index finger to lift my chin so I could look her in the eyes. "You must be Adelram."

I practically glared at the witch. "How do you know my name?" I know Sharn yelled it out loud, but we were not in their territory. I also didn't sense anyone near us. Not until we entered the village. I also put up sound barriers when we travel, so as to not alert any predators or enemies from attacking us. There's no way that even a witch should have been able to hear her.

The witch giggled before she spoke. "Come now, do you honestly think we would be ignorant..." She cupped her hands around my face. "... of the birth of the first male Umbra?"

My eyes widened ins shock. The witch just smiled as she looked into my eyes. "Don't act so surprised, love. You are quite the brilliant young man. I know you didn't think it was a mere coincidence that you shared the same name as a clan of the most powerful witches in the world. You even researched you linage out of curiosity, did you not? You must have found it extremely strange when you discovered there was no history about your name outside of your mother, correct? Oh, and don't worry. She's doing just fine. She is living a peaceful life from the money you constantly send her... after you abandoned her." It stung a bit when she said that. She let go of my face and started walking circles around me. "Though, I suppose that was quite an act of kindness you committed. Fending for yourself so your beloved mother could live an easier and happier life. It left her heart-broken, but she accepted your kindness nonetheless."

All I could do was stand there and stare at the ground. I... never look back at the past. It held no importance to me. Still, it was still painful to listen to this woman remind me of my mother. The only bit of solace I received was hearing that she was living a happy life. "Oh! How absolutely rude of me! I know everything about you, and yet you don't even know my name." I looked up toward the witch, a gesture to let her know that I was listening. "A pleasure to meet you, dear Adelram. My name is Cereza. Cereza Umbra, the Head Witch of the Umbra Clan."

That caused my blood to freeze. Before me stood the most powerful witch in the world. It took me a while to compose myself so that I could speak again. I took a deep breath before I spoke. "Lady Cereza..."

"Stop right there, love. I'd much prefer you call me 'Madame Cereza', or 'Mistress Cereza' if you must."

That caused me to blush a bit. That must have been the reaction she wanted, if the cheeky smile was anything to go by.

"M-Madame Cereza." Now I was really blushing, and she was enjoying it. Why do I keep running into women like this in the Southern Plains? Beautiful, dangerous, and makes my heart go aflutter. The only person who fits that description in literally all of the Three Plains was Angelica. "I... I'd like to request something of you."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"The Dark Lord's Grimoire."

Madame Cereza smiled. It looked quite playful. "Oh, you mean this?" She snapped her fingers. Out of the ground came a giant book. It was as wide as a desk from the academy, and just as long. The cover was interesting to look at. The cover was brown with black edges. In the center of the book was a golden star. It was surrounded by crescent moons. There were rings of gold surrounding the moons. There were also five different symbols around the golden star. They looked like a claw or a fang, a full moon, the sun, a tree, and an infinity ouroboros. Such a strange looking book, yet so enchanting. I could sense the power radiating from it. It felt just like the power Madame Cereza was emitting. I reached out to touch it, only to feel a slight shock. It was enough to make me pull my hand back. I was hit by Sypha's lightning magic, yet a small shock like that got more of reaction from me than that?

I heard Madame Cereza laughing. "It's not gonna be that simple, young one. We've enchanted the book. Only a true Umbra can open the book. Though you are a skilled sorcerer, you mostly rely on your physical abilities. If you want to use the book, you need to pass one simple task." Before she finished speaking, she walked over towards my back... and wrapped her arms around me. I felt the warmth of her body on my own, smell her captivating aroma, and feel the softness of her breasts on my back. She whispered softly into my right ear. "You must prove yourself worthy of the Umbra name."

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF HIM, WITCH!" Sharn started to charge at Cereza, daggers in hand. She jumped in the air, preparing to slash Cereza's head off. Before she could reach us, however, I saw Cereza raise her left index finger. The next thing I saw was Sharn floating in mid-air. With just a flick of her finger, Cereza flung Sharn into a tree and completely disarmed her. With a snap of her fingers, the bark of the tree wrapped around Sharn's body, leaving only her head visible. "Let go of me, dammit! And get your filth claws off of him! He's mine!"

I blushed when she said that, while Cereza just laughed. "Silly little orcess. Adelram belongs to us. He is an Umbra, after all. Though, I'm quite sure you have no plans on staying here, do you?"

I looked at Cereza. She was so close to my face. I could feel her breath on my neck. I felt so embarrassed for some reason. So much so that I quickly inverted my gaze from her. This caused her to giggle. "Oh, don't be so shy Adelram. I don't bite." She giggled a bit. "Much." When she said that, she gave my right earlobe a playful bite. It was such a shock to me, that I subconsciously activated my powers.

I turned myself into darkness and flew away from Cereza. When I rematerialized, I could feel the heat in my face. My heart was pounding non-stop. I was probably as red as a tomato. Cereza laughed at my reaction. "That was quite adorable. I take it you're not used to being toyed with?" No, I wasn't. That was such a strange experience for me. The strangest thing about it was that it felt kind of... good.

"OH, THAT'S IT! WHEN I GET DOWN FROM HERE, I'M GONNA CARVE YOU UP LIKE A COLOSSUS BOAR!" Sharn was still yelling threats and profanities as she tried to free herself from her wooden restraints. Cereza eventually got annoyed. She snapped her fingers and had bark cover Sharn's mouth. Her yells and screams were now muffled.

"Now then, there is a simple way for you to prove yourself as an Umbra." I listened intently to Cereza, prepared to accept any challenge. "You must emerge victorious in a battle against another Umbra." I was surprised. I didn't think it'd be that easy. "You can challenge any of your sisters to a duel. Until they admit defeat, you will fight them to the end. You just need to win one battle, and you'll official be recognized... as the first Umbra Warlock. So then, which one of us shall it be?"

I looked around the area. All of the witches looked extremely powerful. Any one of them would give me a close battle. Still, I already knew who I wanted to fight. "Madame Cereza, I would be honored if you were to be my opponent." That caused a stir among the witches. Even Madame Cereza herself looked a bit surprised.

"Challenging the Head?"

"How bold!"

"I love a man who lives for danger!"

"I can't wait for her to beat him. This quiet little village of ours will be so much more fun with him around."

Madame Cereza was about to speak. More than likely, she wanted to dissuade me from fighting her, but I spoke before her. "Madame, it is my goal to learn as much about the Dark Lord as possible. To do that, I will need an incredible amount of strength. I have come close to defeat numerous times. I need to prove to myself that I'm worthy of the Dark Lord's Grimoire. With that, I could become much more powerful. However, like you said, I need to prove myself worthy. If I can't earn the respect of the most powerful witch in the world, then how could I possible earn the right to so much as touch the grimoire?" She stared at me intently. She still didn't look totally convinced. "Madame Cereza, I have one condition. If I should lose, if I should fail to defeat you, if I should fail to earn your respect... then I shall abandon my quest, and pledge my life to you and the Umbra clan!"

This caused Cereza's eyes to widen a bit. They even seemed to shine. She was still silent. In fact, the entire village was silent. "Adelram, what have you noticed about this village?" I was confused by what she meant. I looked around, trying to see what she was getting at. I realized what she meant very quickly.

"There are no men... nor are there any children."

"Correct. Adelram, these are my expectations should you fail:" She pointed her finger right at me. "Should you taste defeat at my hands, not only will you pledge you life to the clan, but also your body."

"My body?"

"Yes. You, Adelram, shall become the husband of the Umbra Clan!"

That was a huge shock! My eyes practically popped out of their sockets, and my jaw might as well have smashed into the ground! I was technically a blood member of the Umbra, wasn't I?!

Madame Cereza laughed at my expression. "Calm down, Adelram. Though we call ourselves a clan, we are not related by blood." I was confused by this. "The clan is a coven. A sisterhood. We are brought together by our magical abilities. There are only a handful of us that are actually blood-related. Don't worry. You're mother had no biological sisters here, so you won't be impregnating any of your aunts here!" She said that with such a bright smile.

Wait. "IMPREGNATING?!"

"Of course. You did mention that there were no children here, did you not?"

"But I thought witches were practically immortal!"

"Oh, in terms of lifespan, we are. However, we can still be slain like any other being. We witches don't have an advanced healing factor like a certain bipedal parasite. We can be killed just as easily as a human. Though we do have the power of resurrection, it's ultimately useless if you yourself are dead. Our numbers are also dangerously low. In total, there are only thirteen of us as of now. That is why we are in need of you. Do not fret, Adelram. You will be treated well. We will keep you well fed and well hydrated. Once you finish your training as a warlock, we will accept you as one of us, and of course as the father of our children."

Sharn's rage was going into overdrive. Though it was still muffled, it was loud enough to catch Cereza's attention. "Of course, we will also have to erase the world's memory of you."

"Huh? 'The world's memory'? What does that mean? How is that even possible?"

Cereza gave an exasperated sigh. "Do you really underestimate our power that much? The power of the Umbra clan is nearly limitless. Erasing the world's memory of you is a fairly simple task. As for what it is, it's pretty much use erasing any form of proof of your existence. It's how our clan has known peace for so long, and why there is no record of our name. Every act you've ever committed, every deed you've ever done, every life you've ever influenced, as well as every event, would have been completely erased. It would be like you were never born outside of our village."

The Umbra witches are that powerful!? Amazing. I didn't think power like that even existed. Should I lose, I could quit my journey with absolutely no negative consequences. How could Angelica or Sharn mourn over a man they have never met? However, I noticed something interesting. "You mentioned something before. Something about 'a certain bipedal parasite'. By chance, do you mean the vampires?"

"My, my, you truly are brilliant. Yes. The vampires have been our enemies for quite some time, along with those annoying reapers. In fact, you brought quite a bit of pride to the Umbra name when you defeated their leaders."

"Leaders? . . . You mean Carmilla and Death, don't you?"

"Exactly. Though, you would have brought us even more pride if you had beaten them with your own power. Speaking of which..." Cereza then snapped her fingers. From them, a wave of dark energy surrounded us. It reminded me of the barrier from the Desire Duels. For some reason, I felt lighter. I looked down to see why. All I was wearing were my pants. My Dark Clothes were gone. I looked behind me to see them floating in their original forms. My gauntlets, my boots, my breastplate, even both of my swords were floating there.

"Wow. Even with the power of the Dark Lord, you were still able to wield that sword. You really are special, my dear. Still, I want to fight you, not the power of the Dark Lord or the power of God."

As I looked at Cereza, I heard a wolf whistle.

"We got a sexy one!"

"My, my, what an amazing body."

"Kid's got some nice abs!"

"Hey, Cereza! Why don't you just fail him now?!"

Cereza looked at the witch. "That wouldn't be any fun! I want to see what he's made of!"

"Well, hurry up! I wanna see what he's made of too!"

"Yeah! Some of us want kids right now!"

These women seem to have no filter. They just say whatever they want. Cereza giggled before turning to me. "You heard them, darling. Let's begin." She then took her stance. I took my own.

I had a feeling that it would be way too dangerous to let her attack first, so I shot a fireball at her. She flicked it away with one finger. I didn't relent. I ran toward her, firing various elemental spells. Fire, water, earth, air, and lightning. She just stood there, and deflected them all. When I got close enough to her, I grabbed her ankle and slammed my palm onto the earth. "Grand Eruption!" I caused a geyser of lava to erupt beneath her. She was completely engulfed by the magma. Just to be safe, I tried to jump away from her. Smart move.

Out of the lava came a powerful kick infused with magic. I was able to cross my arms fast enough to block it, but it still hurt like hell. It sent me skidding across the field. Cereza walked out of the lava... without so much as a tan. "Impressive, but nowhere near enough." I knew it. That was one of my more advanced spells, but nowhere near one of my strongest. I stuck out my palm in her direction. "Light Wave!" A blinding wave of energy shot at her. "Hey now, that's really bright, you know. Shadow Wall." The light didn't touch her at all. In fact, it was completely devoured by her spell.

"So that's how it's gonna be? Then how about this? Black Sun!" In the palm of my hand, I had formed a ball of black flames. I based it off of my gauntlets fire. It's not as powerful, but it'll still pack a punch. I threw it at her wall. The two dark forces clashed, but my sun won out in the end. Her wall was completely shattered. "Ooh. Not bad." The sun was about to reach her, but she just punched it away. "Still, you do need just a bit more training."

She's so strong. I've never fought someone so powerful before. This was the first time I've ever felt so outmatched. Not even Death was this much of a challenge. I... needed the big guns. I was preparing to use one of my most powerful spells. God's Law. A powerful spell that should obliterate anyone I see as an enemy. I started to form a ball of light in my hands. As I was charging the spell, looking into Cereza's eyes... I canceled the spell with a clap of my hands. She smiled, looking pleased. "Well done. I knew from the beginning that you don't see me as a true enemy. To you, it's more like a sparring match between allies. The spell you were about to cast would have had no affect on me. Being a sorcerer is more than just knowing the most spells or having the most power. It's about having the wisdom to use that power at it's fullest. To know when to and when not to use a spell. You're proving your worth as an Umbra more and more, Adelram."

I felt a wave of pride hit me when she said that. Being praised by the strongest does that. Still, I knew I hadn't reached her full approval yet. I had a felling that none of my high-tiered spells would work on her. She'd just find a way to counter them. Besides, I've always been more of a brawler, even with magic. With that said, I bit the palm of my hand. Out of the wound, I forged a blade of blood. She looked impressed. "Blood Control. That's quite a rare skill. Not many sorcerers have the resolve to weaponize their own blood, not even us Umbras. Though, we have our own bodily weapon." She pulled off a single strand of her long, raven hair. The long hair just dangled in the palm of her hand, until it completely stiffened. Then, it grew in both length and width. She had turned her hair into a bo staff that was nearly as tall as she was. She twirled it in her hand elegantly, showing it off. "We Umbras prefer to use our hair as a weapon. Believe me, it's quite deadly. Shall I show you?" I got into my stance prepared to fight her. Who knows how powerful she was in close-quarters combat. However, before I could find out, something... embarrassing happened.

My stomach growled. It was so loud, that it practically shook the area around us. I haven't used this much magic since my fight with Angelica. I was already too used to the Dark Armor. I was blushing. I looked up to see Cereza, staring at me wide eyed. Then, she burst out laughing. "Is that what happens when you use to much magic? You become hungry?"

"Don't worry, my child! I'll feed you a nice butterscotch-cinnamon pie!"

"HAH! You don't know how to feed a man! He needs some more meat on his bones!"

"I disagree. He needs the cleansing power of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and seeds."

"Oh, please. Didn't you hear that growl? It's obvious that he will need a feast. I will gladly fix it for him."

The witches started to argue about what to feed me. It was embarrassing, and it was making me even hungrier. Still, I'd have to ignore my hunger for now. I needed to concentrate on my fight. Cereza calmed down from her laughing fit, and was back to business. I charged right at her, blood sword in hand. She parried all of my attacks. I jumped in the air and started to spin to increase my momentum and power. When I tried to strike her, she was able to easily deflect my attack. To say that I was outmatched might be an understatement. She then rushed toward me. I was able to put up my guard by placing the blade in front of me, but it proved useless. When her staff was about to strike my sword, she made her hair return to it's former, limp form. It slid over the blade. Once the strand was over the blade, she reverted the hair back into a staff in that split second. It smashed into my chest, cracking a few ribs. The attack sent me flying to the wall of her barrier. It hurt like hell.

I looked up at her, watching her twirl around her staff with a playful smile. She was having fun, and she could still keep going strong. I, on the other hand, was reaching my limits. I needed to end this fight now. I had my blood return to my body and closed the wound. Getting up, I concentrated all of my power into my right hand. It started to glow as brightly as it did when I fought Angelica. No. It was shining brighter. This was going to be my last spell. It helped me beat Angelica, so maybe it could beat Cereza. She seemed impressed. When it was fully charged, I ran at her. When I was close enough, I pulled back my fist. As the fist was about to pass my head, she spoke. "That's enough." I stopped my fist. It hadn't even left the vicinity of my face. The rushed stopped caused a shock-wave that blew Cereza's hair. She looked at me, smiling. "Congratulations, Adelram. You are now an accepted member of the Umbra Clan."

I was so confused. "But... but I didn't beat you. I never even got you to fight seriously." She giggled. "Did I say you absolutely needed to beat one of us? I just said you needed to emerge victorious. I also remembered saying that your opponent was allowed to admit defeat. I've seen quite enough of your power, and I approve. So, I've had my fill of our duel. Congratulations, Warlock Adelram Umbra." With that, her barrier was gone. When it left, all of my powers returned to me. My clothes were back, and my swords returned to their original dimensions. When that happened, I looked at the still bound and gagged Sharn. I tried to use my own magic to release her. I envisioned the tree releasing her, and snapped my fingers. It worked. Before she could fall unceremoniously, I used gravity magic to gently lower her to the ground. Cereza was impressed. "Hm. Quick learner." Sharn glared at Cereza as she walked to my side.

"Congrats, kid!"

"Welcome to the family!"

"Does this mean we can't make love with him yet?"

"Maybe. Depends on what the guy wants."

"He's an Umbra. He'll still probably want to continue his little trip."

"Aw. I was looking forward to being a mother."

"You and me both, sister."

I was blushing from their conversation, while Cereza just giggled. She then summoned the grimoire. "The book is now yours." I walked over to the book. I was able to open it. No shock this time. It was odd. The book wasn't written in any known language, but I could still read it. One of the spells caught my attention. Land of the Eternal Full Moon. So that's why the Southern Plains were like this. It was because of the Dark Lord. So he was powerful enough to manipulate reality itself. Amazing. To think there was a sorcerer with that much power at his fingertips.

As much as I was enjoying the book, there was one problem. Unlike with the rest of the artifacts, I was shown no memories. I was given no clue to the Dark Lord. I... had nothing. This was my last clue. As I placed the book in it's own dimension, I smashed the podium it was originally on. "DAMMIT!" Sharn spoke before anyone else. "Adelram, what's wrong?" I looked at Sharn. I sighed before I answered her. "I wasn't shown anything. I have nowhere else to go. This book was my last clue, and I was given nothing. I have all of the artifacts, I have the book, and I've met all three of the living Dark Generals. I... I've reached the end. I've got nowhere else to go."

"Well, why don't you just ask the other three?" We both looked at Cereza. I looked at her with tired eyes, while Sharn's eyes was actually calling her an idiot. "Madame Cereza, it's kind of hard to ask a corpse about the Dark Lord."

"Well, then bring them back to life." My eyes went wide. I asked her what she meant by that. She responded by pinching the bridge of her nose and letting out an exasperated sigh before laughing, like I had just asked a question to the most simple question in the world. "You're an Umbra, boy. Did you forget what I've told you? We can resurrect the dead. That book of yours even has a resurrection spell that you can use. Why do you think Death hates us so much?"

I had forgotten that. I still had a chance. I can still learn more about the Dark Lord, and meet three of the most legendary warriors the world has ever known. I bowed before Cereza, and thanked her for all her help. She smiled as she walked toward me. "You're quite welcome, Adelram. And remember..." She cupped my face in her hands, and brought her face down to mine at eye level. "You are a member of the Umbra clan. You will always have a home here." With that, she kissed me... on the lips. I could even feel her tongue exploring my mouth. I could hear Sharn babbling, but my head was getting fuzzy. When she parted from me, there was a trail of saliva. I looked at her with shocked eyes. That was my... second kiss. There was irony in that, since my first kiss was also stolen. The only exception was that I was the thief, and the victim was... Angelica.

One day at the academy, I saw Angelica being harassed by a group of boys. They were asking her to be their lover. The boys were handsome, but they were all known playboys. One of them already had a girlfriend. Another had multiple secret lovers. That one even bragged about it. There was no way I would allow such filth to associate with Angelica. I walked over toward the group, and told them that Angelica was already mine. They didn't believe me. I was apparently infamous for turning down every confession I was ever given. People thought I would never be in a relationship with anyone other than combat and academics. They demanded proof that I was in love with Angelica. I gave them just that. I gently turned Angelica towards me, and kissed her. It caught her by surprise, but it seemed to shock the playboys even more. I made it authentic by exploring the insides of her mouth. I knew that the playboys were able to see our tongues fight for dominance. During the intimate act, I glared at the boys. They finally relented and walked away. When I couldn't sense them anymore, I stopped kissing her. The plan was mostly successful. The only problem was that I had inadvertently drained Angelica of all her strength. She fell limply in my arms, face as red as an apple with swirling eyes. After that, she would always blush around me and avert her eyes. She never ignored me, but she still acted love-struck. It was actually really cute, though it only lasted for a month. However, our bond seemed to strengthen. We even spent more time than usual after that.

* * *

W-w-w-why was I thinking about that time!? Why did the memory of my first kiss appear?! I could still feel Ram's tongue dominating my own!

"Is somethin' the matter, Master Angelica?"

"N-no! Nothing is wrong, Master Grant! Though, I can't help but feel the need to not only be the first to punch Ram, but also slap him enough to make his cheeks look like a baboon's behind!"

"Uh, o-okay. I see no problem with that."

"Thank you, Master Grant!" Wait until I get my hands on you! RAM, YOU IDIOT!

* * *

Sharn started to drag me away from the village, after she gave me one of her famous punches. The last thing I saw was the witches waving goodbye. Eventually, we had left the village, and Sharn gave me permission to walk.

As we walked, I brought out the book and started to read out of it. While I was studying, Sharn spoke. "Adelram, What did she mean?"

"Hm?"

"When she said you... abandoned your mother."

I was afraid she would ask that. I don't like talking about myself, let alone my past. Still, Sharn was my partner. She had a right to know. "My mother gave birth to me when she was sixteen. She was a kind and loving woman, always putting my best interest before her own. Still, I was able to see that she was struggling. The teenage years is no time to be a mother. When I had reached the age of four, I thought it would be best if I had left. I thought it would out less of a burden on her."

"You left your mother at four years of age?"

"Yes, though I was more than capable of fending for myself. Eventually, I had enrolled into the academy and was already participating in missions. When I had received my first payment, I sent about half of that amount to my mother. That was a mistake on my part, since she was able to send me a letter. She told me how sorry she was that she wasn't able to give me a better life, and how she wishes for another chance. It was a heartbreaking letter. As I sent more money to her, she sent just as many letters. However, they were telling me how proud she was of me. How she was proud of what I had become. Eventually, the letters stopped coming. I still sent her money, but I had stopped expecting any letters all together. I thought she had every right to deny me something like that. I have no regrets. At least I know that she's living a happy life."

"Well, what of your father? What about him?"

"I honestly don't know."

"What?"

"I've never met the man. In fact, my own mother doesn't even remember who he was. Well, it isn't important. If I abandoned my mother out of love, I'd probably abandon him out of spite. He has absolutely no importance in my life, whatsoever. Besides, I had an amazing father figure in the Steel Paladin."

Sharn just stared at me, probably unsure of what to say. "I've heard of parents abandoning children, but I've never heard of a child abandoning their parents. You really are an interestingly strange man, Adelram."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "I guess I am." The past is nothing more than that. The past. All that mattered was the here and now, and I now had a new goal: the resurrection of the deceased Dark Generals. And we were approaching the last known location one of them.

The battleground were he met his end. The battleground of where the youngest of the Dark Generals died.

The current resting place... of Brauner Erebus.

 **A/N: That's right. The generals are coming back from the dead. Let's see how they are. Oh, and here's something we haven't had in a damned long time. An alternate ending. I like to envision my story in the form of a game. Cereza would be an unwinnable boss, but there would be a point system with a time limit. Certain actions would give you more points, while others would deduct them. Remember when Adelram stopped his law and punch? That scored major points. This alternate ending would be the scenario of when you don't score enough points to pass after time runs out. Warning: Lemon. Fetish elements.**

"That's enough." Unfortunately, I had built too much momentum. I couldn't stop my punch. Cereza ended up catching the punch... with one hand. It didn't even cause her to flinch. She released a disappointed sigh. "I'm sorry, Adelram. You haven't reached our level yet. As such, you now belong to us." With that, she and the rest of the clan snapped their fingers. The last thing I saw was a blinding light.

When I woke up, I was in an empty room. I tried to move, but I soon learned that I was shackled to the wall. "Oh, you're awake." Madame Cereza emerged from the darkness. Her eyes had a lustful gleam to them. "I know you're an honorable man, but you can never be too careful. Now then, you belong to the Umbra witches, my dear. We will treat you well, and eventually train you to become a true Umbra. However, for now, we can do as we please with your body." She then discarded her clothes, revealing a flawless body. Fair skin, ample and large bosom, seductively long legs, and curves in all the right places. I couldn't tell if I was looking at a witch or a goddess. "As I've told you before, the village is lacking in children, and we all want to become mothers. It's only fitting that the Head becomes the first to bear a child. Don't worry, I'll make sure you enjoy yourself as well."

She reached down and grabbed my nearly developed erection. I just now realized that I was in the nude. Cereza didn't waste any time. She immediately placed my erection into her mouth. It was so warm and moist. Her tongue was completely encircling my member, covering it with her saliva. It felt so good, that I climaxed before I even realized it. "Mm, what a delicious flavor." She then wrapped my still stiff penis with her breasts. So soft. She started a piston motion. The softness and friction was incredible. It caused me to climax as quickly as her mouth did. "Oh, my; it seems that I've been marked. I really shouldn't be wasting something so valuable, but you seem to be enjoying yourself." I was panting like a dog. I looked at her with lazy, yet lustful eyes. "Don't worry, my dear, we're far from finished."

She turned her back towards me, and positioned my erection at her entrance. She decided to tease me first. She rubbed me against her folds. I could feel the warmth, softness, and moisture. It was driving me mad. Finally, in a quick motion, she stabbed me into her. It was so quick, that it brought a moan of pleasure from both of us. She was so tight and hot. It felt amazing. She smiled at me before she started to move. It was slow at first, until she started to hasten. During the act, she swung her leg over my head, and was now positioned in front of me. Her height made so I was staring directly at her breasts. They were jiggling as she continued to straddle me. I finally allowed my lust to take over. With my hands bound to the wall, I couldn't grab her, but I still had my mouth. I started to suck on her breasts. That got a moan of pleasure from her. "Oh, you naughty child. Oh, well. You might as well enjoy it while you can. Once the child is born, you'll be off limits. At least until the child outgrows the need for my milk."

It continued like this for quite a while. Then, she hastened greatly, trying to make me ejaculate faster. I was reaching my limit, and she knew it. "Release it, Adelram! Plant your seed! Impregnate me! Make me a mother!" I complied. We both released a moan of satisfied pleasure. I could feel my seed flowing into her. When I was finished, she got off of my now limp member. She turned to me, a look of satisfaction on her face. Before she left, she kissed me. Her lips were so soft.

She kept her word. I was well feed and well hydrated. The witches gave me delicious food and different juices from a variety of fruits. I'm pretty sure they just keep me chained up as some kind of fetish. Though, they still used me as a sex slave. Eventually, all thirteen of the witches were now pregnant. That was when my training as a warlock began.

The training at the academy might as well have been a quiet stroll through the country. The training was hellishly difficult. They taught me spells that I never even knew existed, and showed me all kinds of different possibilities, literally. A spell that was taught to me allowed me to see into different timelines. How my life would have been different from it is now.

I saw a timeline of me losing to Angelica, and another of me losing to Sharn. They were both interesting, but the one that caught my eye the most... was the timeline where I was never born, basically the current timeline the Umbras had created. I was impressed by what Angelica had become.

She was a badass. Absolutely merciless. Well, maybe not that far. She was still kind, but she was strict. She completely obliterated Trevor, and easily became the Golden Paladin. She was an incredible leader, and brought about such amazing developments. She didn't resemble her kind and happy self that I grew up with. She was strict, enjoyed combat, and had a no-nonsense attitude. In short, she was just like me. If I had never been born, Angelica would have been exactly like me. Interesting.

I would have watched more, but Cereza canceled the spell, saying I was wasting valuable training time. Eventually, I had finished my training, and had become a full fledged Umbra. I was now officially the first Umbra warlock. Just in time, too.

My children started being born. I was surprised to see that a lot of the witches gave birth to sons. Cereza was the most surprising. She gave birth to twins, one boy and one girl. They were all naturally gifted sorcerers. When they were of age, their training began. They excelled in nearly all categories of their training. Still, some of the kids were a bit stubborn. One of them, a little tomboy, told me she was bored with magic training. She wanted to do something else, so I taught her how to fight. She loved it. Hell, to this day, she would always ask me for a round of sparring. I eventually taught my oldest son how to fight just so she would leave me alone. He became her goal after his tenth consecutive win.

That batch of children wasn't the last. Apparently, their mothers became addicted to sex. When ever they gave birth, they'd find the first chance they could to have me pleasure them. Cereza was one of the most demanding. Eventually, our small village grew into a town of witches and warlocks. Thanks to our magic, life was simple. We had plenty of food, water, and resources because of it. The Umbra Clan lived a happy and peaceful life. True, we were attacked by Death and Carmilla once or twice, but we always sent them running with their tails between their legs.

This was my life now, and I was happy. Besides, I can always see how my life could have been with my magic. Great way to entertain myself. I can even see into other worlds. You know you've seen everything when you see a human willingly marry a demon out of pure love. Life is good.

 **A/N: Well, there's the alternate ending. You guys know the drill: if you think you can make a better alt. ending, then** **go for it. I think it's okay. I basically gave Adelram a harem, but who cares? The Umbra witches own him in this AE, not the other way around. At least he got some pretty awesome kids in the process. He has a little tomboy, for crying out loud! . . . . Anyone else jealous that Adelram can see into different timelines? I've always wanted to be able to do that, just so I could see what life would have been like if I had never been born, or if I hadn't done the things I regret doing. I WANT THAT SPELL!**


	15. Chapter 13

I made one seriously fatal mistake. I forgot to eat after leaving the Umbra village.

Because of that, we were attacked by different beasts and monsters after my stomach roared. I barely had any strength left after my fight with Cereza, so it was kinda hard for me. Sharn on the other hand created a bloodbath. It was like my stomach fulled her with some kind of rage. It was strange, but she looked... faster. And maybe even stronger.

One of the monsters that attacked was a stone-skinned troll. I thought we'd have to work together, but Sharn just slashed through the beast as if it were butter. Did I upgrade her daggers or something? Then, a new beast appeared. A Hydra. A legendary serpent if there ever was one. It's been said that cutting one head makes two more grow back. This one had sixteen. It's been fighting for quite some time. I thought Sharn would need my help. I was wrong.

It looked like a split second. In that short moment, Sharn had ripped the serpents heart from it's chest. It hadn't even realized it yet. Sharn was standing behind it, the beast's heart still beating while impaled on her dagger. One of the heads finally noticed the hole. The rest of the heads turned towards Sharn just in time to see it's heart beat one final time. With that last beat, it fell dead to the ground. I was shocked. When had Sharn become this powerful?

I noticed something else. I looked at her feet fast enough to see something flow into her. Darkness. My darkness. Was she... using my power?

"Sharn, since when have you been able to absorb darkness?"

She turned to me, raising her eyebrow in a look of confusion. "What are you talking about? I can't absorb darkness. That's your power." She pointed her heart impaling dagger at me. "Are you so hungry, that you've actually started to hallucinate? Hurry up and cook this snake. All this fighting has actually gotten me hungry."

Hallucinating? No, that's not it. I could swear I could sense a bit of my power in her. I was also sure that I saw her dagger spark... with my black flame. Maybe... maybe she's subconsciously absorbing my power, or I'm giving it to her without realizing it. True, I had infused her daggers with my fire when we fought Death's reapers, and I have been carrying her; so could exposure to my power be affecting her in a small way?

I'd had to figure that out later. Right now, I was starving, and I'm not about to miss my chance at eating a hydra. Hydra's are known for carrying some of the most toxic venom in the entire world. The aroma itself was said to be a potent toxin. That could be useful for a variety of reasons, from assassination to quick kills to antivenom to a new upgrade for Sharn's daggers. The meat of the serpent was interesting. It wasn't the tastiest thing we've ever eaten, but it was at least in the top ten. We both agreed that the heart was the tastiest part of the beast.

It wasn't the only thing on the menu. Sharn had killed enough beasts for a village. We had a damned feast. There were also plenty of edible plants, along with some fruits and vegetables around us. Even though the amount of meat could have fed a village, we ate it all. There weren't even any bones left after the feast. We also put a huge dent on our supply of water. Hopefully, we'll find a lake near us, or at least some more fruit that I can squeeze into juice.

With our hunger completely satisfied and our thirsts quenched, we continued traveling. As we walked, I continued to study the grimoire. I had eventually found the resurrection spell that I would need to bring back Brauner. That spell is getting bookmarked. I also found another spell. It was strangely named.

"Shining Darkness?"

When I said the name of the spell, my right hand started to glow. It wasn't the dark flame I was used to. It was light. Though, I could still see the dark aura surrounding the golden energy. Sharn was drawn to the spell. "What is that?"

"I don't know. I just read a spell out of the grimoire. It just looks like light. Maybe it's some kind of illumination spell." While studying the light, I threw the fist toward the sky. From it, a beam of the light shot straight toward the sky, until it literally clashed with the darkness. It even looked like it pierced right through it. I was shown that it actually did. Through the hole that my spell created, sunlight was spilling out. The contrast between the beauty of the day and the majesty of the night was exquisite. It didn't last long, since the night sky swallowed the sunlight; returning the stars. So it was still daylight.

I could sense Sharn's astonishment. "Adelram, what was that?"

"The spell or the light?"

"The light."

"That, my dear, was sunlight."

"Sunlight?"

"I told you about it. When the Creator separated the night from the day, He created two great lights to govern them. The light we saw just now was from the sun. A spell cast by the Dark Lord prevents that light from shining. I'm willing to bet that that was your very first glimpse of sunlight. How was it?"

Sharn was still staring at the sky. "Beautiful."

* * *

"What the hell is that?"

We were all staring at the light bursting into the sky. We watched with awe and fascination as the light broke through night sky, only to allow the rays of the sun to shine through. It was daytime.

As we watched the night sky swallow the light of the sun, Master Sypha answered Master Grant's question. "It was a spell. An extremely powerful one at that. Whoever cast it must be extraordinarily powerful. Far more than even me."

I was shocked to hear this. "Stronger than you?! But Master, you're the greatest sorceress in the world! You were even able to incapacitate Ram!"

Master Sypha blushed out of embarrassment and shame. "Please don't remind me of that, Master Angelica." I realized my mistake and quickly apologized. "Still, no matter how powerful I am, I still cannot change this landscape. I don't have nearly enough power to cast that kind of magic. In fact, I don't know anyone who has even a fraction of that kind of power."

"I think I do."

We all turned to Master Shanoa, who was still staring at the sky with her arms crossed. I asked her who she meant. She turned her gaze to us before she spoke. "I'm sure you know exactly who I mean." It didn't take us long to figure out who she meant.

Master Grant was the next to speak. "I wouldn't put it past him. That guy's been gettin' stronger and stronger. Wouldn't be surprised if he got too strong for even us to beat. The only reason we were close to winning last time was because he let his guard down."

I sensed Master David's spirit weaken. He must have been feeling shame for what almost happened to Ram. I needed to get his mind off of the topic. "Well, at least we know were he is now. Judging from the trajectory, it may take us about a day or two to reach that destination. We should be able to track him from there."

"Uh, I think it may take longer than that." I looked toward Master Hammer to find out what he had meant. We weren't the only ones attracted by Ram's light.

A stone-skin troll, a steel-toothed diablo tiger, a Minotaur, a chimera, a devil dragon, and a even a hydra appeared out of the woods. "Well, shit. These things are gonna be a pain. We probably won't be able to catch up with the kid."

"Master Grant's right. These beasts won't let us escape, and they'll waste a lot of our time. Even more so since we're talking about it. SLAY THE BEASTS! ONCE YOU'VE DEALT WITH YOURS, AID YOUR COMRADE IN SLAYING THEIRS! UNDERSTAND?!"

"MA'AM, YES, MA'AM!"

* * *

We had eventually reached a clearing. There were no trees, plants, or any other form of vegetation. There was just sand being bathed by the moonlight. The silver grains shined beautiful in the light. However, there was something else in the sand.

Shattered shields, broken arrows, spears planted in the ground, smashed swords, and corpses; lots and lots of corpses. This was the battleground where Brauner lost his life. It was quite the sight. I felt like I was standing on sacred ground. Historic ground. How many legends were born from this one small fight in a large war?

The wasteland stretched as far as the eye can see. There was no way I'd be able to find Brauner's corpse in this sea of sand and death. Then I remembered a spell in the grimoire. It should be the perfect way to locate Brauner. I closed my eyes and started to concentrate. I spoke the spell in it's language. I shouldn't have been able to say it so fluently, but I did. I even knew the translation.

"Eyes of the Dead."

When I opened my eyes, I was amazed by what I saw. I must have made my amazement audible. Sharn asked me what I was seeing. I started to think of a way to explain it to her, but I couldn't think of anything. I'd much rather she saw it for herself. I just wish I could show it to her. Then I remembered something. My theory about Sharn's newfound power. Maybe, just maybe, I could willingly give her my power instead of subconsciously.

"Sharn, close your eyes." She looked confused, but complied without complaint. I placed my hand over her eyes, and started to concentrate. I saw my hand begin to glow, and cast the spell. "Now, open your eyes. See with my eyes." When she opened her eyes, she was awe-struck.

We could both see them. Souls. The spirits of the warriors, beasts, and monsters that fought on this silver ground. Some of them were even still fighting each other. Even though their bodies are dead, their spirits still long for battle. The sight was incredible. Some souls glowed so much more brightly than others. The brighter ones felt so much stronger. So much more powerful. It was an amazing sight to behold. Then, we both saw it.

It was like a beacon. There were no other souls around it. In fact, when some got to close, they would fly away from it; terror filling their hearts. The aura was as red as blood, and was easily the most powerful out of all the auras around us. That had to be him. That had to be Brauner.

Sharn and I ran towards the aura, feeling it's immense power as we got closer. When we were right at the center, I deactivated the spell. In front of us was what looked like some kind of grave. No. It was hastily covered, as if the diggers were trying to bury something better left forgotten. I looked toward Sharn, and she nodded her head. We had found him.

Digging through my storage dimension, I brought out the necessary materials to create two strong shovels. Once I had crafted them, I gave one to Sharn, and we began to dig. Eventually, we had completely uncovered... a skeleton. Though, it looked so strange. It's clothes looked to be untouched by time. It's bones looked so clean. The fangs looked as white as pearls. The strangest thing about it... was that it had hair. Long, crimson hair was still attached to the skull. It looked healthy too. Even in this state, I could still sense immense power and strength.

I stared intently at the corpse. Before I started the spell, I bent down to the corpse and opened the jaw of the skull. Biting my wrist, I allowed a few drops of my blood to fall into it. I guess I was expecting that to at least aid in his resurrection. When I did that, I walked out of the "grave", and started the spell. This was the spell's translation:

 _Ye who's soul wonders the earth,_

 _Rejected by Heaven and scorned by Hell,_

 _I give you this order,_

 _Return to your body,_

 _Return to your flesh,_

 _Let air flow through thy body,_

 _And walk this earth yet again!_

 _Rise!_

 _Rise!_

 _By order of your Lord,_

 _RISE!_

With that, an immeasurable amount of power exploded around the corpse. It gave off enough force to push even me and Sharn back a bit. When the power was gone, we walked over to see what was now in the grave. We were surprised by what we saw.

He was so... handsome. His features would send most of the women in my village into a love-struck frenzy, especially with that peaceful, sleeping face. He puts most of the playboys' looks to shame with that alone. His skin was only slightly lighter than my own. In short, he was an ideal man in terms of looks for the village women.

As I was examining him, his eyes shot open. He looked at me with crimson eyes. As chocolate brown stared into blood red, he gave a feral smile. I didn't sense any malicious intent. Instead, it felt so... playful. Excited, even. The next second, he slammed the palms of his hands onto the ground. With the force of the strike, he sprung out of the hole, trying to kick off my head in the process. When he landed, he tried to land a roundhouse to my right temple. I countered with a high-kick. The clash caused a small shock-wave that sent us both skidding away from one another.

He looked up at me, smiling. He was enjoying himself. He then got into a fighting stance. Sharn was about to join the fight, but I raised my hand to stop her. "Sharn, let me fight him alone."

She looked at me with skepticism. "Are you sure? Though it's more honorable, this is still a vampire. A high-breed at that. I felt the force of the clash between you two, and I can sense that this man's power... far surpasses Carmilla's."

"And that's exactly why I need to fight him alone." She still didn't look convinced. "I've become stronger since our encounters with Carmilla and Death. I need to prove to this man that I'm stronger than them... stronger than him. We need his help, and warriors like him respect strength above all else. If we fought him together, we wouldn't earn that respect. It needs to be one on one."

Sharn thought for a second, then started walking away, her eyes never leaving Brauner. "Good luck, Adelram."

I got into my own stance. I didn't activate my powers. I needed to beat him with my own strength, not with the strength of the Dark Lord. We ran at each other, and our fists clashed. It caused a shock-wave that blew away the corpses and weapons around us. His punch made my bones shake. Had I fought this man before, before I even started this journey, he would have killed me with that one punch.

The fight went on with a barrage of attacks. Our fists were a blur, but I could still see them coming at me. I was able to block many of his fists and land a few punches, but so was he. Eventually, a well placed punch to his right cheek sent him skidding away. I didn't let up.

I tried to recreate the same swipe kick I used on Cornell without my boots' power. It was successful. A blade of wind was racing toward Brauner, but he countered with the same technique. This guy is beyond strong.

I tried to charge at him, ready to jab him with my fingers. When I was close enough, I tried to strike at him. He jumped out of the way just in time. Behind him was a boulder. My fingers pierced right into it, and I was able to slide them out effortlessly.

Brauner landed near a myriad of weapons, and threw them all at me. Watching them come at me, I imagined my fight with Cereza. She said that an Umbra's power was practically endless, so I started to concentrate. I imagined myself being as flexible as paper, and could sense all of the objects flying toward me. I dodged them all with my eyes closed. I could sense Brauner's excitement. He was having fun. The next thing he threw... was the corpse of a stone-skin troll. It was to big to dodge, so I imagined something else. I imagined myself being as strong as steel. Brauner threw the corpse at me with such force, that it split in half when it hit me. I didn't even feel the body. It was like getting hit by a single grain of sand.

We stared at each other, both feeling the adrenaline and excitement filling our bodies. At our sides were swords. Broken, but still usable. We picked up our blades and charged at each other. With the first clash, we started running. We kept trying to slash one another, but we would always parry the blow. During the skirmish, the blades completely shattered, so we just continued our duel with our fists.

Countless strikes, blow for blow, strikes at vitals, and attacks at joints. The fight was brutal. I could feel the cracks forming on my bones. But, my God, was it fun! I was having a blast fighting this man. So this was a vampire warrior. He really is stronger than Carmilla.

When I thought I saw a chance, I tried to sweep kick him. He saw it coming. He jumped out of the way, and tried to smash my leg. I was able to avoid his attack, and used the momentum to give him a roundhouse. He skipped across the sand and landed with an explosion of sand. When he tried to get up, I kicked him in the chin with enough forced to send him airborne. Like I'm going to stop there.

Using the muscles in my legs, I jumped up toward Brauner, lifted my leg as high up as I could, and smashed him into the ground. The force created a small crater. It wasn't enough. While still under my leg, face down, Brauner kicked me off of him; and used a handstand spin kick to throw me out of the crater.

I got up as soon as he jumped out of the crater. We were both drenched in sweat, but we were far from out of breath. If anything, we were overflowing with energy and a lust for battle. We charged at each other and started another barrage of attacks. During the exchange, I was even able to dig my index finger into his shoulder, nearly puncturing his jugular; and he was able to plant a fist into my liver. Our fight was creating a vortex around us, pushing back the sand and everything in it away from us.

Finally, I saw an opening. His chest was completely defenseless. I was able to push his arms away, and placed my fists on his exposed chest. I willed my overflowing energy to travel into my fists. When I felt enough power, I released it all. Out of my fists came a blast of pressure. It caused a small circle to form on Brauner's chest, crushing his abdomen to make the shape. He actually coughed up blood from the attack. He looked like he was going to fall over, but I wasn't going to take that chance.

I grabbed his chin, and slammed him into the ground. It was enough force to cause an imprint of his body into the sand. I then threw my fist at his face, but stopped at an inch away. The force created a small gale force that caused ripples in the sand. It was over.

"I win."

Brauner just stared at me with wide eyes, looking dumbfounded. Then... he burst out laughing. "Yup! Ya sure do!"

I stared at him, before I relaxed my fist into an extended hand. He graciously accepted the offer. I pulled him up, and we shook each others hand. "Not bad, human! Not bad at all! Nice to meetcha! Names-"

"Brauner Erebus. A vampire and the youngest of the Six Dark Generals, as well as arguably the most physically powerful. It's been said that among the Generals, you were the only one who could match your older brother in hand-to-hand combat."

Brauner looked surprised. "Wow. Didn't know I was so damn famous. How the hell do you know about me?"

I explained to Brauner who I was, and what I was doing in the Southern Plains. I told him how he was an infamous warrior in the history of the Three Plains. He really enjoyed hearing that, but he seemed more interested in my journey. He became even more intrigued when I showed him my powers and the Diabolo Anathema.

"Well, I'll be damned. I never thought any of the 'children of the light' would be interested in us, let alone a human. So, I guessing you're hoping I can tell you about the Big Guy, eh?"

"Yes. I'd be most grateful for any information you can give me."

"Sorry. I don't really know that much about 'im."

I was surprised to hear that. "But, you're a Dark General. You were one of the Dark Lord's closest subordinates."

"Well, that's not exactly true. I was a Dark General, but I wasn't close to the guy at all. I barely even saw the old fart's face. He would always keep his face hidden for some reason. The only ones that were really close to him, since they were pretty much his advisers, were Death and my older brother. Bring back my bro, and he'll probably have tons of stories."

I was happy to hear this. "Do you know where he is?"

"Sure. I have a blood connection with him. Even when dead, I can find him as easily as finding a ruby in a puddle."

"So, would you please guide us?"

"Please, you interest me. The last person to have ever kicked my ass by himself was my brother. A chance to see that bastard again is a chance I can't give up. I'd follow even if you told me not to."

I was glad to hear that. An ally like that was something Sharn and I needed. The monsters are only getting stronger as we dove deeper into the Southern Plains, and Carmilla and Death are still out there. Having an ally like Brauner would be a huge help to us.

"So how far is Olrox?"

"About five days on foot. With your boots, you should get there in about five minutes."

"You heard him Sharn. Lets go."

Sharn's face turned a lighter shade of green. "C-can't we just walk?"

"Why? It'd take so much time. We'd get there faster with my powers. . . . Sharn? By chance... are you afraid of high speeds?"

She didn't even hesitate. "YES! DO YOU REALIZE HOW TERRIFYING IT IS TO GO THAT QUICK?! ONE WRONG MOVE, AND I COULD HAVE BEEN AMPUTATED BY YOU! PLUS IT'S... It's..." She started to look away, a small blush forming on her face. "It's embarrassing to be carried like that."

Cute. She was so cute right now. I was actually even blushing. A proud warrior, with enough bravery to admit her fears, was looking so cute right now. I quickly recovered. "But Sharn, this is the fastest way to get there. I don't know any other way."

"I do."

I looked at Brauner, curious about what he was going to say. "You see those ruins in the distance?" I looked toward the direction Brauner was pointing. I could see tall buildings that towered over the trees. "There's a large and powerful stone bird perched in that area. It's the fastest creature in all of the Southern Plains. It's more than large enough for all three of us to ride on. Plus, it's speed will take us to Olrox's corpse in at least five hours. Not as fast as your boots, but certainly faster than taking a five day walk."

I was intrigued by what Brauner said. This creature sounded invaluable. I looked at Sharn, and she seemed to like the idea. "Well, Sharn? How about it? It'd be the last time I'd have to carry you, and the last time you'd have to experience that speed. So, one last time?"

She still didn't like the idea of me carrying her, but with a heavy sigh, she finally gave me permission. I picked up the blushing beauty, and told Brauner to grab a hold onto my hood. With a bit of confusion in his eyes, he complied. Then, I ran. I heard Sharn's usual, adorable scream, but was surprised to hear Brauner. He didn't scream. He yelled with joy: "YAAAAHOOHOOHOOOOOO!"

It barely took me ten seconds to reach the ruins. Sharn was shaking in my arms, while Brauner was walking around like a drunk. "WHOO! That was awesome! Let's do that again!"

Sharn's head shot toward him with a look of rage. "HELL NO!"

I put Sharn down and examined the scenery. The ruins were submerged into a lake. The lake was clear and beautiful. I examined it, and sensed that there were no contaminants. It was pure and clean. With that in mind, I summoned the barrels and bottles, and filled them all up with the water. As I was doing this, a giant shadow quickly passed over me. I looked up to see a giant stone bird perch itself on one of the buildings.

What a magnificent creature. The wing span had to be twenty-eight meters. The bird's body was about thirty-five meters. The long tail of the beast alone could hold a platoon. It had a crest on it's head, and many ridges on it's back that one could easily use as a seat.

Sharn was the first to speak. "It's so beautiful. What is it?"

"That, my lovely green friend, is Avion. The second largest sky beast in all of the Southern Plains."

I caught what Brauner had said. "Second largest?"

"Yeah. There's another beast that's larger than even him, but it's speed is pathetic. You're better off with this beauty instead."

I accepted Brauner's advice. I continued to marvel at the great bird, before I used the power of my boots to jump towards the creature; and walked on the sky toward it. Avion noticed me, and turned to look at me. It had blue eyes that practically pierced into my soul. Like it was judging me. Still, those eyes were so beautiful. I continued to walk toward the bird. When I got closer, it's eyes turned from blue to orange. It released a mighty screech that caused the lake to ripple, and completely expanded it's wings to show all of it's majesty. Just expanding it's wings caused small waves to form on the lake. One of the waves completely drenched both Sharn and Brauner. They did shake themselves dry. Brauner was laughing at the antics of the bird, while Sharn looked slightly annoyed.

The bird looked so impressive. So powerful. Yet, I still felt no fear. All I felt was a need to tame this mighty beast. I continued to walk toward Avion. When I felt that I was close enough, I extended my hand. Avion just started at it, until his orange eyes returned to it's original blue hue. Slowly, it placed forehead onto the palm of my hand, it's eyes turning completely black. Then, it's eyes were completely enveloped with a blue light. I could see into it's soul. It had seen so much. So many wars. So many fallen civilizations. So much death. It even saw it's own death at the hands of a single human. This bird... was a reincarnation.

After it showed me it's memories, I gripped the birds head and placed my forehead onto it's own. I made a vow that I would protect the might phoenix, and never allow it to experience death ever again. I will never let such a magnificent creature suffer ever again. It... had accepted my vow. It released one last screech before it bowed down before me. Avion... was now mine.

I climbed onto the head of Avion, and had him land near Sharn and Brauner. They climbed onto the bird by it's tail. After they had found a comfortable seat, Sharn was sitting between one of the crevices of Avion's spine while Brauner was just laying on Avion's back, I had Avion take off. I have to say, riding a giant stone bird felt amazing. It felt so... free. I was glad Brauner told me about Avion.

With two new allies, we rode towards the resting place of the most powerful of all the Dark Generals.

Time to wake up Olrox Erebus.

* * *

Cornell's tears haven't stopped flowing, not since he started the resurrection of the Dark Lord. It was even worse for him now, especially since the Dark Lord now had flesh again. Seeing that monster's face was crushing Cornell's soul.

"Ah, the Master's return is coming along quite well. You've done well, Cornell." Death was enjoying himself so much. Seeing the traitor suffer was one thing, but watching his Master return brought about a whole other wave of joy.

"He certainly does look quite healthy. Though, he still does not show any signs of life. I think I have just the remedy for that." When she said that, Carmilla bit into her arm and sucked out enough blood to fill her mouth. She then walked toward the Dark Lord, smiling at him, causing a bit of her blood to run down her cheek from the corner of her lips. She gently opened the Lord's mouth... and kissed him. She felt her blood flow into the Lord's mouth and down his throat. When she parted from him, he let out a content sigh. He started to breath, but he was still asleep. Still far too weak.

Still, he was alive. The sight of a living, breathing Dark Lord caused Cornell's world to shatter. The monster was so close to reviving, and there was nothing he could do about it. Carmilla was filled with joy. She placed her ear to the Dark Lord's heart and listened to it's rhythmic beating. It was like a music box to her.

Death would have usually punished Carmilla for the actions she had committed. Touching the Dark Lord was forbidden, let alone kissing him, but that did not matter. Though it was with the aid of that bastard child and that lustful vampire, his lord and master would soon return. He was filled with joy... until it happened.

He sensed something. Something that filled him with so much rage, that he was visible shaking. Carmilla noticed this, and was about to ask what was wrong with him. That was until he exploded with rage.

"ADELRAM!"

He started to wildly swing his scythe. Unfortunately for his and Carmilla's servants, they were in range of his wrath. He slashed so many vampires and reapers, sending their souls to Hell. Some of his swings were powerful enough to create blades of wind. He kept swinging with so much rage and fury, all the while cursing Adelram.

"DAMN YOU! YOU AND THAT DAMNABLE CLAN OF YOURS! YOUR PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS IN MY WAY! ALWAYS MOCKING ME! ALWAYS HUMILIATING ME! DISRESPECTING ME! AND WORST OF ALL, YOU RESURRECT HIM?! CURSE YOU, UMBRA! DAMN YOU AND ALL OF YOUR KIN TO THE MOST HORRENDOUS PITS OF HELL!"

With that final screech, he slammed his scythe into the ground, causing a great quake. It caused the bounded Cornell to fall to his side, and even made Carmilla lose her balance. When she regained her composure, she glared at Death with unbridled rage. "Death! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Death glared at Carmilla, rage still burning in his eyes. "That bastard, Adelram. He has awakened his Umbra blood. He now knows of his heritage. He is now an Umbra Warlock."

Carmilla still glared at him. "And this caused that little tantrum, why?"

"The Umbra witches have always been a thorn in my side. They have always denounced my power the moment they discovered a perfect resurrection spell. Even when I collect one of their souls, another one would always steal it from me by bringing their sister back to life! Now, Adelram has that power! He even had the gall to use spells that was created by the Master himself! Not one, but two! One of them was the resurrection spell that the Master uses to call us back from Hell!"

This actually got a laugh out of Carmilla. "It seems the little cur enjoys angering you. It almost seems like his hobby."

"Do not laugh, Carmilla. You should be more concerned with who he brought back to life."

"And who exactly did he return to the world of the living? One of those pathetic heroes? I do not fear those worms. Without the Deum Fidem, they are powerless against us."

"Fool. It was not any of them that he brought back."

"Then who was it?"

"Brauner."

Carmilla's eye widened in shock and rage. "WHAT?! He resurrected that bastard?!" Carmilla then looked away, thinking. "If Adelram brought Brauner back, then his next goal would most likely be-"

"The resurrection of Olrox... and maybe even Medusa."

Carmilla gritted her teeth in rage. She hated those three with all of her being. Brauner never cared about the Dark Lord. All he ever cared about was war and combat. Olrox was worse. He always had an air of superiority. Like she was beneath him. She hated that. Medusa was the one she despised the most. Not because she was stronger, but because of her beauty. She was supposed to be the most beautiful soldier in the Dark Lord's army, not that accursed snake woman. Even her own men were foolish enough to fall for the serpent. "We must not allow any of them to return."

"Agreed. Those fools couldn't care less about the Master's return. They never gave him their full loyalty. Just one of them alone could greatly hinder the Master's triumphant return."

Cornell liked the sound of that. He hated Death and Carmilla, but there was something different about the other three, especially Olrox. He never seemed interested in the Dark Lord. All he cared about was his plans and his soldiers. Cornell has fought by Olrox's side before, and the vampire never allowed any harm to come to his men. Even the werewolves were safe under his command. He was a brilliant tactician, conjuring plans that always insured absolute victory with no casualties. He was also so... kind.

The sound of Carmilla's voice broke Cornell out of his thoughts. "I know where Olrox's body is. I'll destroy it before they reach it."

"Hold."

"You DARE to stop me, Death?!"

"You shall never reach his resting place before Adelram. You will have a fight on your hands, so take these along with you."

Out of the shadows came Carmilla's vampires. She was about to complain, until reapers started to merge with the vampires. A greenish light enveloped the monsters. Out of that light... came demons. They had horns on their head, large fangs, grossly huge wings, and they each carried a scythe. Their claws looked just as sharp as their fangs and scythes, and their eyes held an endless amount of bloodlust. Carmilla could sense so much power from them. They were so close to being high-breed level. Not even Brauner would survive an onslaught from these beasts.

"Go. Take these beasts with you, and bring back Adelram's head."

Carmilla gave Death an evil and pleased smile. "With pleasure."

 **A/N: FINALLY! Adelram has another ally besides Sharn. And Sharn seems to be getting stronger just by being close to Adelram. Wonder how strong she'll be in the end. Ram also has a freaking stone eagle as a pet! Can you guess which game that little beauty is from? If not, I feel sorry for you. The next General is supposed to be the most powerful of them all, even more so than Death himself. Think he'll join Adelram?** **Speaking of Death, Adelram seriously pissed him off. And now he's sending demons and Carmilla to kill him and his group. Those** **guys are in for one hell of a fight.**


	16. Chapter 14

Riding on Avion was pretty comfortable. He flew smoothly, making walking and working on him easy.

I was experimenting on the Hydra venom, finding ways to weaponize it and converting it into antivenom and other antidotes. I forged the hilts of Sharn's daggers to be hollow so that they can hold small vials of the poison. I also gave her four extra vials in small, but strong, stone cases. I also added a mechanism that would draw about small drops of the poison at the push of a button on the back of the daggers. Just a drop of that stuff will basically make her daggers instant kill weapons for most creatures. I gave Sharn her warnings, and she accepted it. I also made sure her sheathes were impenetrable so she wouldn't get cut by accident, and put a safety mechanism near the poison release. She learned how to use it rather quickly. She really enjoyed the new upgrades, though the kiss on the cheek was quite the surprise. I think she mostly did it just to see me blush.

Brauner was just relaxing on Avion's tail. Avion was covered with soft grass. He's as soft as a bed, so sleeping on his back is a simple task. I really am glad I adopted Avion. He's not just cute, but he's also extremely helpful. I couldn't help but scratch the back of his head. He gave a small purr. He seemed to enjoy it. When I stopped, he let out a screech of content.

Some time had passed, and Sharn had eventually fallen asleep on one of the stone columns on Avion's back. I wasn't feeling sleepy at all. Guess I had energy to burn. I was enjoying the scenery on Avion's back. Watching the Southern Plains move beneath me was quite enjoyable. It was a feeling of absolute freedom. I was taken out of my thoughts by the sound of a roaring stomach. It wasn't mine, and Brauner told me that Avion doesn't need to eat. Sharn's stomach doesn't roar. That just leaves one other person.

"I'm starving. You got anything to eat?"

It was Brauner. I dug into my storage dimension, and threw a chunk of raw Minotaur meat at him. He easily caught it while still laying on his back. I could hear him sucking out the blood. "Hey, this is Minotaur meat. You've got some good taste, Adelram." I watched as he sucked the meat dry. It looked like jerky by the time he was done. What he did next surprised me.

He ate the meat, including the bone. "I thought vampires only drink blood."

Brauner actually looked at me, a smile on his face. "Well, if you're the lowest of the low, then yeah. But I'm a high-breed. We can eat just about anything you humans can. Hell, if we're strong enough, we can even walk in the sun."

Well, that was interesting to know. "So, what else can you eat? Is garlic and water really poisonous to your kind?"

Brauner burst out laughing at that. "Those are just a bunch of dumb myths you humans created! Though, you have to admit, garlic smells way too strong. That's probably how that myth started. We vampires have an extremely powerful sense of smell. It's how we track down our prey. As for water, we can drink and bathe in at like any other creature. Though, holy water does feel like acid to us. I mean REAL holy water."

"Real?"

"Yeah. Water actually blessed by God Himself." So He is real. "Though, if a human really does believe in Him, really does devote their lives to Him, they can use His power to bless any pure water. Real pain in the ass. It's just as annoying as holy magic and blessed weapons, like that Deum Fidem."

"Oh, you mean this?" I summoned the Deum Fidem. Brauner jumped out of fear and surprise. He wasn't going to fall off, but he was close. "YOU HAVE THAT FUCKING SWORD?! EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE THE DARK LORD'S POWER?!" I just nodded. I thought that it would only be proper to tell him about it, since we were now traveling together. He was silent for a while before he sat down, eyes still wide with shock. "Damn. You really are interesting. I really am glad I decided to follow you." Wow. He took it well.

"Do you even need to drink blood? Is it like a habit now?"

"Well, in the end, a vampire is still a walking corpse. We can't produce our own blood. If we starve ourselves of blood, we dry up like raisins. It keeps us strong and healthy. It's also a source of our powers."

"Powers?"

"Yeah. You know that old saying, 'you are what you eat'? That's literal for us. If we drink the blood of a werewolf, we gain the speed of a werewolf. If we drink the blood of a troll, we gain the strength of a troll. You humans are the most valuable source of power to us. Your kind can adapt. You can become fast, strong, and are one of the few species that can actually access the power of magic. You're also able to evolve. Why do you think vampires aim for humans more than any other species?"

"I always thought it was in your nature." He laughed at that. I guess that shows just how complicated a vampire can be, and how little humans really know about them. "So, what happens if you drink the blood of another vampire, or even your own blood?"

Brauner looked away, a look of thought in his eyes. "Drinking your own blood is a death sentence. It'd be no different from drinking that Hydra poison you gave Sharn. As for drinking the blood of another vampire, I don't know what would happen. No one really does."

I was confused by that. He didn't look like he was finished talking though. "Drinking the blood of a fellow vampire is taboo, high or low-breed. It's absolutely forbidden. Not even Olrox knows what would happen. Though, I have to admit, I've always been curious." He stared at the sky. He looked like he was imagining what would happen if he drank vampire blood.

He quickly turned his gaze to me. "Got any more meat?" I told him that that was the last raw steak. Sharn and I had pretty much depleted our supply with our feast. "Oh, too bad. Hey, sexy! Mind giving me a blood donation?!"

Sharn cracked open one of her eyes to glare at Brauner. "If you so much as poke me with your fangs, I'll rip them out and shove them down your throat." She them closed her eye and tried to go back to sleep.

Brauner actually shivered at Sharn's threat. "Phew, she's a spicy one. You've got yourself a keeper there, Boss!" I blushed a tiny bit at that. "So, mind donating a bit to the Brauner Blood Bank?" I saw no problem in that. He was now an ally, so I might as well help him out here and there. I rolled up the sleeve on my left arm, and offered it to him. Brauner gently grabbed my arm, and gingerly inserted his fangs into my arm. I felt him take the first sip of my blood. When he did, his eyes shot open, and he let go of my arm. His eyes were shadowed by his hair, and he was visibly shaking. I was worried about him, and was about to ask what was wrong. Then... he jumped. A stupidly happy look on his face. "SO FUCKING DELICIOUS!"

He would have fallen right off of Avion, had I not grabbed his ankle. "Your blood is so delicious, Boss! The power of the Dark Lord mixes in with your blood exquisitely! Your human blood is so sweet, and the fact that you were so strong gives it a powerful flavor! Your foreign blood gives it a bit of spice, giving a unique flavor that I've never experienced before! There also seem to be a huge concentration of magic in your blood. Kinda reminds me of the Umbra Witches."

"Oh, that's because I am an Umbra."

I placed Brauner back on Avion, looking at the confused look on his face. "Wait, you're an Umbra Witch?"

Something about that ticked me off. I imbued my finger with a bit of magic before I flicked his nose. It seemed to actually hurt him. "I'm a warlock." He was rubbing his nose when he looked at me. "My mother was an Umbra witch, though I didn't know that at first. Hell, I didn't even know about my heritage until I actually met the Witches themselves."

"YOU MET THE UMBRA WITCHES?!"

"I've been through a lot on this journey. I even got to fight the Head. She was undoubtedly the most powerful person I've fought."

Brauner was staring at me. He looked both surprised and impressed. "So... what were the witches like?"

I was about to give him an explanation, but Sharn answered first. "A bunch of horny sluts that wanted to get in his pants."

I was blushing like a schoolgirl when she said that. You could cook on my head with the amount of heat I was expelling. That was beyond embarrassing. Brauner was staring at me wide eyed. "Huh, and yet you're still traveling. Sounds like you passed up paradise." Brauner ended up catching one of Sharn's daggers between his index and middle finger. Didn't even look. Man has good reflexes.

During the flight, I could see something in the distance. They were bats. Giant bats. Nowhere near as big as Avion, but big enough to be a meal. I dug into my storage dimension to look for my bow, but then I remembered that it was destroyed in that fight with the Paladins. I had some time. I started to gather my most powerful and fire-resistant ores. I was able to forge them into a powerful bow. Finding material for the sting was a bit more tricky. We didn't find a lot of fireproof monsters, so hair from any other beast would probably combust as soon as the arrow touched it. I was scratching my head in thought. That's when I remembered what Cereza told me. An Umbra could weaponize their hair. I pulled out a single strand of my hair, and willed it to grow in length and strength by imbuing it with my magic. When it reached a desired length, I tied it to my bow. I tested the string, pulling it with as much strength as I had. I even used one of my gauntlets to pull on it. I further tested it by exposing it to my fire, and tried to cut it with my hunting knife. No damage at all. The bow was perfect.

The swarm of bats was getting closer. There were hundreds. Dinner was most certainly served. As they flew over us, I summoned a flame arrow. Aiming, I shot a barrage of arrows. None of them missed. Some of the arrows went through the bats' heads. Others went through their hearts. Some of the bats even caught fire. As the giant creatures fell, I opened a storage dimension to hold them. I had to move it around to catch all but three. They were to be eaten later, while the ones I didn't catch were to be eaten now.

I noticed that one of the bats were bleeding. It gave me an idea. I took out some ore and crafted them into a cup with a removable lid and a straw. I filled it up with the bats blood and gave it to Brauner. He looked confused, but accepted it anyway. "You can fill that cup up with as much blood as it can hold. That way, in the heat of battle or a long trip like this, you can get your fill of blood." He liked the sound of that, and already started drinking the blood through the straw. "You can keep it in your storage dimension when you're not using it."

"What's a storage dimension?"

I guess a resident of the Southern Plains wouldn't know about the most popular spell in the Three Plains. Though he did say he's able to absorb the abilities of others, so shouldn't he know about it when he drank my blood? When I asked him about that, he explained to me that it takes a while for vampires to learn things like spells through blood. It's not like he can learn all of my spells and tricks by a single drop of my blood. With that in mind, I started crafting a cup holder that could be attached to his belt. When I finished, I immediately fashioned it to his belt. He was grateful, especially when I filled up the cup with a bit of my blood.

Time passed after we had our meal. Eventually, I saw a clearing. It was a lot like the clearing that we found Brauner at, but with stone. Also, it seemed like the moon was shining directly over it. "We finally made it! Big Bro, here we come!" So he's here. Olrox Erebus. Before we reached it, Avion seemed to hesitate. Something was wrong. "Maybe he's afraid of my brother's power. The guy is a badass. We can walk from here anyway." I agreed with Brauner. As the three of us jumped off of Avion's back, I watched as he flew toward a mountain and perched on top of the apex. He then covered himself with his wings, supposedly going to sleep. He looked like a part of the mountain.

We continued to walk toward the clearing. It was completely barren. There were no bodies or weapons anywhere. Just white stone, glowing in the moonlight. I didn't see anything that resembled a fight. "Was this really were he died?"

"Yup. He's here somewhere. We just gotta find him. Still, it feels strangely nostalgic to walk on the ground were Olrox died. Feels kinda comforting."

"In that case, why don't I help you join him here, Brauner?"

We looked behind us to see Carmilla, giving Brauner a hateful glare. "Carmilla! Long time, no see! You haven't aged a day." Brauner then gave her a feral glare, one filled with a lust for battle. "You still look like a murderous bitch!"

"And you are still an arrogant, little bastard!" When she yelled that, monsters jumped out of the forest. They didn't look like anything I've ever seen before. They looked like vampires, but they had the same aura as Death's reapers. They even had scythes. Brauner was looking excited now. "Ooh, what interesting little pets you have." He then summoned two swords. Judging by the design of the hilts, they can combine to form a dual-sided sword. So he's a dual wielder, as well as a dual-sided swordsman. Talented. "I hope you don't mind if I kill them, do you?"

"Don't worry, Brauner. They're here to kill all three of you."

"Cool. Hey, Sharn, you ready for a fight?" We looked toward her to see that she had already killed one of them. It's head was still attached to her dagger. "Did you say something?" Even Carmilla was speechless. Brauner was the first to speak. "Well, okay then. Adelram, you go wake up my brother."

"What? Don't you need my help?"

"Please, I've got Sharn for backup. Besides, Carmilla never did beat me. We can handle this."

Carmilla's eye widened in rage. "If you think I'm going to let you bring that bastard back to life, YOU ARE SORELY MISTAKEN!" She them rushed toward me, her bladed arm aimed at my head. Brauner easily blocked her with his sword, giving her the same feral smile he showed me. "GO!"

I complied with the order. I used the power of my boots to run and search for Olrox. As I ran, I saw Sharn kill three more of those creatures, a faint darkness surrounding her body.

* * *

Sharn was busy fighting the monsters. They were trying to surround her, but she could easily predict their movements. Her daggers were gutting them. The poison from the Hydra venom made them even deadlier. Her physical attacks were just as damaging. When she kicked one of them in the head, it pretty much obliterated into a shower of gore. A punch to the chest sent them flying into the forest. She thought they were oddly weak.

She kept on fighting and fighting, oblivious to the darkness that was surrounding her. Then, it happened. One of the creatures tried to slash at her, and she tried to counter it. She didn't see the darkness surround her dagger, but when it clashed with monster's scythe, the dagger ignited. It was burning with the black flame. Her dagger not only slashed through the scythe, but through the monster and everything behind it. Other monsters and the trees behind them were engulfed with black flame, before they disappeared into nothing.

Sharn was astonished. Brauner and Carmilla also witnessed her power. Brauner was grinning, while Carmilla's eye was wide with shock. Sharn brought the still burning dagger to her face, marveling at the dark flame. "This... is Adelram's flame."

Carmilla's eye was now burning with rage. "THAT IS NOT HIS POWER!" Carmilla ran past Brauner, and tried to slash at Sharn. Sharn was able to parry the first strike, and every other strike Carmilla tried to throw at her. They were moving at blinding speeds. "THAT POWER BELONGS TO THE DARK LORD! IT IS NOT A TOY FOR MAGGETS LIKE ADELRAM TO PLAY WITH, LET ALONE A PATHETIC ORC LIKE YOU!" Sharn was still blocking Carmilla's onslaught with just her one flaming dagger. She then saw an opening, and brushed back Carmilla's blade. It caused the vampiress to stumble. Sharn used this chance to ignite her other dagger with the flame of her first one. With both daggers burning, she brought her weapons to her side. She slashed the air in an X motion, and created a flaming X that flew toward Carmilla. Carmilla barely brought up her blade to defend herself, but the force and power of the attack sent her flying. She landed on her feet, but was still skidding before she stopped.

She looked up at Sharn, fury overflowing in her. "Damn you, you fucking orc!"

"Hey, bitch."

Carmilla looked behind her in time to put her guard up. Brauner kicked her with enough force to send her flying again. When she landed, she looked up to see a smirking vampire. "I don't remember saying our fight was over."

Carmilla didn't know who she wanted to kill more: the annoying vampire who never respected her lord and master, or the female orc who had the gall to use his power. Her forces were already cut in half, but that didn't matter. She swore that she would send at least one of these two heathens to hell.

* * *

I ran as fast as I could to find were Olrox was. It didn't take me long. I found a skeleton... standing where the moon was shining it's brightest. Like Brauner's corpse, it's clothes seemed to be untouched by time. Strangely enough, it didn't have a shirt. Just a pair of black pants and polished shoes. It stood majestically, like a god. It was so tall. I barely reached it's shoulders. I think it might even be slightly taller than Sharn. Since Brauner was about my height, it was definitely taller than him. It's hands were still balled into fists, like it was preparing for the final attack that ended it's life. Something very noticeable about the skeleton was it's hair. It wasn't red like Brauner's. It was silver. It glowed under the moonlight, with such a beautiful shine. I felt more power from Olrox's corpse than when I did from Brauner's.

I was so mesmerized by Olrox's corpse, that I almost forgot my goal. For some reason, I bit both of my palms, and levitated the crimson liquid into the skull. I made sure that the blood was enchanted, making it more valuable. I repeated the same spell that resurrected Brauner.

 _Ye who's soul wonders the earth,_

 _Rejected by Heaven and scorned by Hell,_

 _I give you this order,_

 _Return to your body,_

 _Return to your flesh,_

 _Let air flow through thy body,_

 _And walk this earth yet again!_

 _Rise!_

 _Rise!_

 _By order of your Lord,_

 _RISE!_

Air seemed to surround the skeleton, but that was it. Had it failed? Then, a mighty explosion occurred. It was enough to blow me away from the sight. I even landed on my back. As I looked up, I saw a pillar of silver energy... literally hit the moon.

* * *

"Well, this was definitely where we saw the spell. Still, no sign of Adelram. Any idea of where to go, Shanny?"

"No. His trail completely disappeared. It was if Adelram completely vanished."

"Well, there must be some way to find him. Ram had to have left some kind of way to track him."

As we were contemplating, we heard a mighty explosion. We turned toward the direction to see a silver light hit the moon. We could sense the immense power from our location, and it was about a day's travel from where we were.

Master Grant was the first to speak. "I think we've found him."

* * *

Death was gripping his scythe with enough strength to nearly snap it in half. "Damn you, Carmilla. You've failed once again! Once you return, I will give you a severe punishment."

"That won't be necessary, Death."

Death recognized that voice. He would never forget it. When he turned toward the voice, all of his rage was gone.

* * *

Brauner and Carmilla were evenly matched. Their attacks never landed, but the force of their many clashes devastated the environment. Their latest clash caused them to push each other back. They were both panting, exhausted from their duel. Brauner was enjoying himself, but Carmilla looked annoyed. She was wasting her time with a traitor, while the orc was slaughtering her pathetic soldiers. If she didn't hurry, that bastard would return. She wanted to end them before that happened. Too late.

As she ad Brauner were about to begin another clash of power, a mighty explosion shook the earth beneath them. Everyone, even the monsters, turned their attention towards the origin of the explosion. Before them was a pillar of silver energy... and a very familiar presence. A presence that made Carmilla's fair, white face pale even more.

Brauner, on the other hand, was smiling. Not the smile of a feral warrior, but of a loving kinsman. "Welcome back, older brother."

* * *

I was amazed by the amount of power. It was on par with an Umbra witch. Not quite Cereza's level, but damn near close. When the energy disappeared, I saw something... incredible.

Hair and eyes as silver as the moon. Skin as white as the freshly fallen snow. The body and stance of a god, with the aura and will of a near omnipotent demon. A flawless face that would make any woman swoon, and a gaze that pierced through your very soul. This man... looked more like a messenger of God than a vampire. His very being was practically glowing in the light of the moon. He looked so... majestic.

Yet, despite all of this, none of his god-like beauty was his defining feature. He had a scar on his chest. The scar... was directly over his heart. That should be impossible. Vampires of the highest level have incredible healing capabilities. Not even a stake to the heart would kill them, let alone leave a scar. Then I remembered something about the vampires. It has been said that the very first vampire was once a human that made a contract with a demon. Humans can be turned into vampires if a bite from a high-breed vampire kills them. The timing varies from victim to victim, but should they fail to drink the blood of the vampire that killed them, they will be doomed to being a low-class; at least until they accumulate enough power to become a high-class vampire themselves. That process takes decades, centuries even. Yet, even with these new powers of regeneration, past wounds will never heal. Something like a scar will never leave their body, should they have received it before they were vampires. That was the only explanation. Olrox... was once a human. Yet, even then, he must have been beyond powerful. That scar was directly over his heart. A wound that would cause that should have killed an average human. Olrox Erebus. Just how powerful were you?

"Are you the one who brought me back to life?"

His voice was so powerful. So commanding. Yet, it was also gentle and kind. The voice of a true leader. The voice of a general. I calmly got back to my feet, and stared directly into his silver eyes. "Yes. My name is Adelram Umbra." His eyes held a bit more intrigue when I mentioned my name. "I... am a warlock of the Umbra Clan. I am on a journey."

"A journey?"

"Yes. It is my goal to... uncover the hidden past of the Dark Lord."

Olrox stared at me. I knew that he was studying me. His gaze felt so intense. "Why does such a thing interest you?"

"Because it is unknown." Olrox stayed silent. It was like he was giving me permission to continue. "It has been one hundred years since the fall of the Dark Lord. In that time, not a single piece of information has been given about him. I know all there is to know about the war. The hero, his comrades, his sword, the tactics in the war, and even the Dark Generals. However, I know nothing about the Dark Lord. Those with power have been trying to erase him completely from history. I find that curious. What did the Dark Lord do that was so heinous? What were his tactics? What were his goals? Why did he start the war? Most importantly, why did he become the Dark Lord in the first place? I wanted to learn this, and much more. I know that my goal sounds a bit selfish, but obtaining knowledge has always been a selfish task. Adventurers and archaeologists would always desecrate burial grounds that would be considered sacred to the civilization they studied. They would always take artifacts, or treasure, or something else that was considered precious to that dead civilization for the pursuit of knowledge. What makes my thirst for knowledge any more sinful than theirs?!"

Olrox just stood there, listening to my every word. "Some people have come to the belief that it was my goal to resurrect him, or even become him. That isn't my goal at all." I then looked at my gloved hands. "Though, as I am now, I can easily see why they would believe such a thing." When I said that, I activated my powers. I was in the complete armor, even wearing the helmet. I went so far as to show him the Diabolo Anathema. His eyes widened a bit, but he still kept his stoic gaze. I then returned to my normal state. "During my journey, as I collected these artifacts, I was shown so much. I felt like I was getting closer and closer to gaining the knowledge I had been seeking, yet I knew I was far from finishing my quest." I looked at him in the eyes before speaking. "You are the last milestone. After you, I have no other way of searching for the Dark Lord's past. Please, tell me all you know of him."

Olrox just stood there, arms crossed over his chest. "You wish to learn about the Dark Lord?"

"Yes."

"Then let me ask you: Would you truly be satisfied to hear of him from my mouth than to discover his past with your own hands."

I was taken back. I did want to learn about him, but when I thought about it, just hearing about him from someone else seemed kind of... boring. After all I had been through, all I had done... would I really want such a boring end to an epic journey? "No... But what choice do I have. It's not like there's a written record of his deeds."

"There is."

I was shocked to hear that. There was actually a record on him? "Where?! How?!"

"During the Dark Lord's reign, he kept scribes to record his life. His beginnings, his victories, his defeats, his accomplishments, his failures, his feats, and much more. All of them are stored... in the library of his castle."

A library. A library in a castle. A castle filled to the brim with history. It sounded like the archaeological find of a lifetime! "Where is it?!"

"It's destroyed."

That crushed me. All of my hopes, smashed into dust.

"Though, it can be restored." I looked up at him, wondering what he meant. "With enough power, it can be returned to it's former glory. However, you can not do it alone. Though you are powerful, you still have not even scratched the surface of your potential. I can sense that you have brought my brother back to life. You will need both of our help to bring it back, along with the help of one other."

"Who?"

"Medusa."

"The last General?"

"Yes. I highly doubt that Carmilla or Death would help you, and Cornell would never want to see the castle rise again. She's your best hope in accomplishing your dream."

I was so happy to hear this. To think I was this close. Then I realized something he had said. "You're going to help me?"

"Yes."

"Forgive my asking, but why?"

"Truth be told, I honestly don't know." That's his answer? "There's something about you. Something I like. You give off an aura of leadership. One of honor. One who does not fear or despise the light or the darkness. Yours is the type of life that is most needed in this world. You have the eyes of one who sees value in both light and darkness. The eyes of someone I would gladly follow." He then bowed before me. "Also, you have brought me back to this world. As such, my life belongs to you. I am at your service, Lord Adelram."

That was incredible. A man as powerful as that, was bowing before me. I felt nothing but pride and honor flow through me. Still, I felt the need to bow as well. A sign to show my respect and gratitude. "I humbly accept your services, Master Olrox."

He smiled before we both got up. "Now then, I have some business to attend to." With that, silver energy surrounded him. Out of the energy came a a silver dress shirt, covered with a black tailcoat that reached his knees. When he was dressed he disappeared with a burst of speed. I followed suit in time to see him kick Carmilla away from a panting Brauner.

"Hello, little brother; Carmilla."

"BRO!"

"No! Dammit, why!? Why are you alive!?"

"You can thank him for that." He pointed in my direction. "I do believe that you are now both outnumbered and outmatched, Lovely Carmilla." I looked around to see what he meant, just in time to see Sharn kill the last of the monsters with... BLACK FLAME DAGGERS?! SHE CAN DO THAT NOW?!

I was so astonished by Sharn's new power, that I almost didn't hear the next thing Carmilla said. "This isn't over, Olrox! NOT EVEN CLOSE! I WILL SEE YOU DIE! I'LL SEE YOU ALL DIE!" With that last scream, she turned into darkness, and disappeared into the night.

As I watched Carmilla disappear, I was caught off guard with what happened next. Brauner tackled Olrox. It didn't push him down, but it was enough to get a grunt out of him. "OLROX! I'VE MISSED YOU SO DAMN MUCH! HOW'VE YA BEEN, YA SILVER HAIRED BASTARD?!"

"I've missed you too, Brauner. I've been alright, if you consider being dead for a century good. Now, can you let go. You're crushing me." Brauner immediately let go of Olrox, a giant grin still on his face.

Sharn looked so confused. "That's Olrox? He looks so different from Carmilla and Brauner. He's not acting like a pompous ass like Carmilla, and he doesn't seem nearly as aggravating as Brauner. Is he really Brauner's older brother?"

The two vampires answered at the same time. "Not by blood."

Sharn just immediately accepted it. She didn't want to delve to deeply into their past. "So Adelram, what now?"

"Well, apparently, we're going to resurrect the final general."

I saw Brauner tense at the mention of our plan. He then turned to Olrox. "Do we really need to?"

"Yes. Adelram needs her help in order to reconstruct the castle."

"But we have Sharn!"

"She doesn't have magic abilities. The only reason she can use those flames is because Adelram is giving her power."

"You are?"

"That was my theory. I guess Olrox just proved it."

Brauner kept trying to convince his brother, saying that the three of us could just teach her magic. Olrox kept telling him that it would take too long, and that it would be faster and easier to just bring back Medusa. Brauner wanted to continue the debate, but Olrox just finalized it. Brauner just slumped in defeat. Olrox has quite the hold over him, but why was Brauner so against Medusa's resurrection? Well, I'll find out soon.

With everything in order, I gave a mighty whistle. It was loud enough to wake up Avion. Olrox was impressed to see that I had tamed him. Olrox apparently knew where Medusa was, so I asked Avion to allow Olrox to guide him. He complied with a screech and took off.

Next stop: Medusa's tomb.

* * *

Carmilla had returned to Death's domain, fuming with rage.

"So, you've returned with your tail between your legs, without so much as a single soldier to accompany you. How pathetic."

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH! DO YOU WANT ME TO END YOU, DEATH?!"

"You couldn't even kill one human and his pet orc. You even failed in preventing Olrox's resurrection. Do you honestly believe a failure like you can defeat me?"

"Why you-! I WILL FEED YOUR BONES TO WARGS!"

"I would prefer you do not do that to my adviser, Carmilla."

All of Carmilla's hatred and rage was extinguished by the sound of that voice. A voice that she would never forget. The most beautiful voice she had ever heard. The voice of the one she loved.

She turned around to see him, sitting on a throne of darkness. "My Lord. You're awake."

"Indeed, my loyal servant. I have returned to this retched world."

Carmilla ran to the man, and bowed at his feet. "My Lord! You have no idea how much pleasure your grand presence brings me! Oh, Your Majesty! Such great heresy has been done against your name!"

"I know. Death has informed me."

Carmilla looked up at her lord, a faint blush on her cheeks. "Then... will you punish these heathens?"

"No."

"What?!"

"I am still far too weak. Not even your blood was enough to regain my power. I need more."

Carmilla gasped at her incompetence. She should have known he needed more than the meager amount of her blood she had given him. "In that case, My Lord, allow me to-"

"However, even when I regain my full power, I will not yet punish the boy." Carmilla was once again shocked. "That boy is accumulating my power. Bringing back my castle. Becoming stronger and stronger. He's even being kind enough to bring back my deceased generals. In short, he's rebuilding my legacy." Carmilla was listening intently to her Prince, wondering what he is planning for the bastard. "When that boy has completed his tasks, when he has reached his full power, when he has resurrected my generals, when he has rebuilt my castle, then I shall punish him. I shall completely drain him of every last drop of blood his bodies holds. Then, his power will be mine. I will be... complete. Nothing will be able to stop me, not even the blessed power of God. My darkness will be invincible, and this entire world shall finally be under my command."

Carmilla was in awe. Her Prince was actually making use of the heretic. "Carmilla, will you aid me in my ambition? In my full return?" Carmilla could feel the tears of happiness roll down her cheeks. "Yes! Yes, My Lord!" She didn't even care if she was overstepping her boundaries. Without any hesitation, she placed her head on her Lord's lap, and felt a rush of joy flow through her when she felt his hand pet her head. "I will forever be at your command... Lord Dracula."

 **A/N: Come on, if you were a Castlevania fan, you should have seen this coming miles away. The moment you saw Carmilla should have at least raised a flag, but Death's appearance should have lifted a fucking banner. Hell, it should have set off fireworks. Anyway, you guys finally met the main antagonist of the story. Plus, Olrox. What did you guys think of him? He's strong. I mean seriously strong. He could even take on Cereza. The fight would be close, more in Cereza's favor, but he'd still at least give her a good workout. But Dracula's much stronger than him. When he shows up, Adelram is going to be in for one hell of a fight. Still, he'll need to deal with Medusa first. You'll see why Brauner was so reluctant to bring her back. Until then.**


	17. Chapter 15

Olrox was doing a very good job of guiding Avion. Avion followed all of Olrox's instructions to the letter, and was still flying smoothly.

During the flight, I crafted the same cup I made for Brauner, and gave it to Olrox. He gratefully accepted the gift. I filled it up with bat blood and my own blood. The only difference between his and Brauner's cups was that Sharn had actually donated some of her blood to Olrox. I guess Olrox was on her good side.

During the flight, I started to yawn. I was feeling a bit drowsy. Must have been from all of the magic I had to use from resurrecting Olrox. Then again, I can't remember when I had last slept. Hard to tell the time when it is always night time. Olrox noticed my fatigue and told me to get some rest. He said that it would be a good four hours before we reached Medusa's tomb. He told me that he and Brauner would keep watch while Sharn and I slept. Sharn herself was already asleep. She had apparently made one of Avion's external stone vertebrae her personally sleeping area. Truth be told, I was curious about what made it so comfortable. I walked over to it and laid down on it, my back turned to Sharn's. It felt so smooth. So comforting. It was easy to find a suitable sleeping position. When I did, I closed my eyes and allowed sleep to overtake me.

"Hey. Hey, Boss." That was Brauner's voice. I could feel him shaking my shoulder. "Boss, we're here. Time to wake up." I just groaned. I didn't want to wake up. I was way to comfortable. I just tried to ignore him while I buried my face into something soft with a sweet smell, while I tightened my grip around something firm and warm. "Come one, Adelram. I know Sharn must be comfortable and all, but we need to wake up that snake woman."

. . . . . . What did he say?

I opened my eyes to see shining, green hair. As I sat up, I realized that I had wrapped my arms around a still sleeping Sharn's waist. I shot up, face as red as blood. Sharn was still sleeping so peacefully. She looked so innocent, so pure, so beautiful. I ended up slapping myself in the face. Brauner snickered at that. "You two really are close, aren't you?"

I was babbling at him. I couldn't make a proper statement. My babbling must have awoken Sharn. I saw her sit up and stretch her arms. She then turned her gaze towards me and Brauner, eyes still looking a bit drowsy. "What's wrong?"

I still couldn't speak. I was still too embarrassed. Brauner, on the other hand, had no trouble talking. "I interrupted Adelram's happy moment of sleeping while snuggling against you. He looked so peaceful, sleeping while cuddling up to you."

I stared at him with a gaping jaw. My face felt like it was on fire. I could swear that steam was rising from my head. I rigidly looked toward Sharn. She was staring at me with an unreadable expression. Her gaze felt like daggers. Then, the damaging stare turned soft, then playful, until it finally became lustful. She crawled toward me in a seductive manner, and placed her index finger on my chest. She started to trace around as she spoke. "Well, you better get used to this. After this journey is over, you and I will be spending a lot of time together at night." She then traced her finger up to my chin, and used it to pull my eyes up to look into hers. "Though, with a lot less clothes."

I was seriously blushing. I couldn't look away, but I still heard Brauner's voice. "Let's hope it'll actually be that easy for you."

Sharn's expression turned from lustful to annoyed in nearly a split second. She then glared Brauner, right before he jumped off of Avion. "And what's that supposed to mean, Vampire?" She sounded like she was ready to cut him in half.

Brauner sighed before he spoke. He sounded so... tired. "You'll see. When we bring back the Snake Woman, you will see."

I was confused by that. What did he mean? Still, I guess I'll find out soon enough. Sharn and I jumped off of Avion. I gave Avion a loving scratch and listened to him purr. He let out a satisfied screech before he flew away towards one of the mountains. I then turned around to look at... to look at... to... look... at... Eh?

"Olrox?"

"Yes?"

"You said that we were going to go to Medusa's tomb, right?"

"That's correct."

"I see. . . Then can you explain something to me?"

"Sure."

"If we're going to Medusa's tomb. . . THEN WHY THE HELL ARE WE AT A DAMNED TEMPLE!?"

There was no other way to describe it. It was a giant temple. There was an ancient structure of stone found deep within the Eastern Plains. The archaeologist that found the structure discovered that it was called a pyramid, specifically the Great Pyramid of Giza. This structure before us was about the same size as that. This was not a damned tomb. It was a damned temple.

"I assure you, this is Medusa's tomb. It was built by Kitoth himself. That dwarf always had a flare for the dramatics. Wanted all of his creations to be a work of art."

"You sound like you knew the man."

"I did. The best way to defeat your enemy is to know them. I spent quite some time studying the Five Warriors when they entered the Southern Plains. I knew they'd be a threat. If I had studied them a bit more, then maybe. . . Well, that's in the past. The next problem is trying to get in."

Sharn asked him what he meant by that. "Kitoth had Fatin enchant the entire tomb. No force of darkness can open it from the outside. Each and every one of us uses the powers of the darkness. Without a power of the light, there's no way we can get in."

"Oh, in that case, I've got just the key." Olrox looked at me with a confused expression. His confusion turned to surprise when he saw me summon the Deum Fidem. I stabbed the sword into the ground in front of the entrance of the tomb. A ray of light shot from the wings of the blade. The ray caused the doors to open. I returned the sword back to it's dimension, and turned around to see a dumbfounded Olrox. "I guess I should have mentioned this. I somehow became the current wielder of Deum Fidem. Don't worry. I plan on figuring out how that's possible. I mean, it is strange for someone with the Dark Lord's power to be able to wield God's sword, right?" Olrox still looked astonished, but still gave a nod of approval.

With that out of the way, I started to enter the pitch black tomb. I heard Olrox yell at me to wait. I instinctively looked back at him, without realizing I had already taken the first step into the tomb. I didn't see it, but I sensed a hammer coming down to smash my abdomen. Without even looking, I punched the hammer into dust. I turned to look at what I had just destroyed. Judging from the hilt attached to the ceiling, the hammer would have been twice my size. Had I been anything other than myself, or an immortal like Brauner and Olrox, that hammer would have killed me. Hell, it would have killed a Hydra. "Oh my."

Olrox sighed before he walked past me. "Kitoth built this place to make sure Medusa would never be brought back to life. Of course he'd rig this place with countless traps." I couldn't help but ask him if Medusa was really that powerful. "In terms of physical strength, she arguably the weakest of all six of us. In every other category, she outclasses even me. She's undoubtedly the most dangerous among all of us. Her poisons are nearly incurable without her own venom. She is a master at stealth, and has an unparalleled precision. She could shoot a field mouse in between the eyes with a bow and arrow."

"Well, I've been able to do that."

"While you were on top of a mountain, with the field mouse at about a mile distance from it?"

"THAT DISTANCE IS IMPOSSIBLE!"

"Not for her. She also has full control over her gorgon powers. She can go from her seductive human form to her statue creating gorgon form. She uses that ability for infiltration. In short, her skills of poison, archery, and seduction makes her the perfect assassin. She's no slouch in close quarters combat either. In human form, she fights in an elegant manner that's reminiscent of an artistic dance. As a gorgon, her tail is more lethal than any man-made whip. She'll even use it to destroy her victims once she turns them to stone."

"Why?"

"Some people are powerful enough to break out of the statue. Though, there are some people who are so powerful, that her gaze has absolutely no affect whatsoever. We fall into the latter category. Since Sharn is imbued with your power, so does she."

I was glad to hear that. It'd be pretty awkward to be turned to stone by your own ally. "She sounds so powerful."

"That's exactly why Kitoth made the tomb as dangerous as he did. Medusa is an immortal, just like the rest of us. However, unlike me and Brauner, she can't be killed. So, Kitoth filled this place with many dangers to keep her in, so be careful." When he said that, he took a single step forward. I saw a giant boulder, roughly four times Olrox's size. I was about to warn Olrox about the impending danger rushing toward his head, but there was no way I'd be able to warn him in time. Still, it would have been a wasted effort. Before the boulder could reach it's target, Olrox punched the stone into nothing. Not even dust remained. He didn't even look. He didn't even looked mildly fazed at all. "See what I mean?" All I could see was an incredibly powerful man. Vampire or not, that boulder should have just been broken in half, not turned to dust! It's moments like these that make me curious about what kind of man Olrox was before becoming a vampire. "Oh, and it's not just the traps we need to be wary of. We need to be careful of Medusa herself."

"Medusa herself? What does that mean?" Before Olrox could answer, I sensed Sharn grab something out of instinct. She herself hadn't realized it. We all turned our gaze to see what she was holding. It was a snake. It wasn't just any snake, either. It was, "A black mamba." Sharn looked at the serpent with curiosity. She asked me what a black mamba was. "It's one of the most dangerous and venomous snakes in the world. It's been argued that it is the deadliest, even outranking a king cobra. Still, I didn't know they were in the Southern Plains. I heard that they were only in the forests of the Eastern Plains. What's one doing in the Southern Plains, let alone Medusa's tomb?"

"That's her."

I looked at Olrox, confusion etched onto my face.

"That's Medusa." My face was pretty much ordering him to explain himself. "I said Medusa can't die. That's because no one has really figured out a way to kill her. When someone stabs her, human or gorgon, the wound would form a snake. Once the snake returns to her body, the wound will heal. None of her snakes are the least bit defenseless either. Nearly every wound inflicted will take the shape of a venomous snake."

"Nearly?"

"Yes. It's rare, but sometimes her wounds will turn to one of four non-venomous snakes: a python, an anaconda, or their mythical counterparts."

"Mythical counterparts?"

"The Titanoboa and the Megaconda, two of the largest snakes to have ever existed. More than likely, we are going to have to capture those mighty beasts, along with the other serpents."

"Lovely. So, how many snakes are we talking about?"

"Including the two beasts and the one we just captured, about fourteen." I really didn't want to hear that. "More than likely, we'll have to capture: a rattlesnake, a death adder, a chain viper, a king cobra, a tiger snake, a taipan, a blue krait, an eastern brown snake, a fierce snake, and of course, those four lovely giants."

I was sweating bullets. Most of the snakes Olrox named had enough venom to kill a fully grown human. This was not going to be easy, even with the Hydra anti-venom I've made. I grabbed the black mamba and placed it in a separate storage dimension. For safety reasons, I'm planning on putting each of the snakes in their own dimensions. With the black mamba, we only needed to look for thirteen. So, we started our search.

The search was difficult. I had to keep using luminescent spells to allow us to see in the pitch black corridors. Fortunately, there were old torches in the temple. I was able to ignite them, so I wouldn't be wasting too much magic power. The traps were the biggest pains. Even with our reflexes, some of the traps were still able to hit us. No major damage, mostly just torn clothing. Though, in Sharn's case, that in itself was dangerous. She might as well be wearing a bikini. I don't know who that was more inconvenient for: her safety or my sanity. She looked way to sexy.

I really wish I hadn't let my guard down just to gawk at her. The next thing I knew, there was a spike through my foot, and a spear jabbed into my side. It took a while for me to process what happened, when I did, I actually yelled, "YAOUCH!" Brauner was laughing his ass off, while Olrox had a blank expression. I yanked out the weapons and felt a bit dizzy. Guess they were tipped with poison. I took some of the Hydra anti-venom, and felt better. My powers healed my wounds.

"What was that, Adelram? It's not like you to let your guard down." I turned around to try to defend myself against Sharn's jabs. Bad move. She was standing right in front of me. . . . And since she's taller than me, it wasn't her face I was staring at. I was mesmerized by her nearly exposed breasts. I guess she caught on quick. "Oh, so that's it. As much as I enjoy the attention you're giving me, now's not the time for that." I immediately blushed ad turned away. I dug into my storage dimension to look for a pelt. When I found one big enough for her, I just stretched my out for her to take it. "Thanks."

We continued our exploration of the temple. It was like a maze of traps. We did find quite a lot of the snakes. The rattle snake was the easiest to find. A lot of them came really close to biting us. Still, we did catch them. Personally, I thought the boa and the anaconda were the easiest to catch.

"So, I guess all that's left is the Titanoboa and the Megaconda." As I said that, I caught an arrow that would have pierced my temple.

"Shouldn't be to hard. They're just a couple of big snakes." Brauner punched a boulder that would have smashed into his right side.

"If that's the case, shouldn't we have seen them by now?" Sharn used one of her daggers to block a barrage of darts that would have turned her left side into a pin cushion. We've really gotten used to these traps.

"That... might not necessarily be true."

Huh? What did Olrox mean by that? "Aren't they supposed to be extremely large? How could we miss them?"

"It's because of their large size that it may be a bit more difficult to find them." What? "Medusa had another ability. One that made her a force to be reckoned with. She could manipulate her size."

"Manipulate her size?"

"Yes. She had the ability to be as small as a human... to as tall as a mountain."

"SHE CAN BECOME A GIANT?!"

"Yes, and the only snakes in her arsenal that have that same ability-" Before he could finish his statement, the ground beneath us began to shake. The floors and the walls crumbled. Out of the wreckage... emerged two giant serpents. Just one of their faces extended the combined length of all four of us in a line. They were huge. The could easily swallow even Avion. "-were her Titanoboa and her Megaconda."

The two snakes stared at us for quite some time. Then, they let out a mighty hiss, more like a roar actually. We were shown rows of hooked fangs. They were dripping with saliva. However, I noticed that the saliva melted the stone they touched. Saliva does have a bit of acid in it to clean the mouth and help digest food, mostly sugar, but this goes beyond that. This saliva was pure acid that could melt the skin. Just one bite from these creatures can cause some serious damage.

The two great snakes rose to show all of their might. Their strength and size destroyed much of the temple's ceiling. I hadn't realized it, but we had traveled extremely deep into the bowels of the temple. I saw the entrance of the temple, but I was more astonished by the sheer size of the snakes. We were practically ants to them. I looked around to find the end of their tails. I saw that they were completely wrapped around us, and they were long enough to encircle my village. This was going to be a hell of a fight.

The serpent on the right struck first. It was so fast. We all barely dodged it. Brauner and Olrox were clinging to the wall, while Sharn was borrowing my magic to stand on the air. I didn't waste any time. I gathered my power into my fist, turning it into it's gauntlet form. With my charged fist, I struck at the first point of the snake I saw. I caused it to bend from the impact of my fist. It let our a shriek of pain.

The serpent on the left tried to attack me, but Olrox was faster. Using the wall as a spring board, he kicked the snake right beneath it's right eye. The impact caused a shock-wave that destroyed the wall on the snake's left. The snake was about to recover to attack him, but Olrox was summoning his weapon. Out of the flames in the palm of his hand, he summoned a dual-sided sword, and stabbed into the neck of the snake. He swung around his sword and used the momentum to jump onto the snakes back. He slid down the serpent, making precise slices down the mighty beast's back. He landed right behind me, and we both got into a fighting stance. The two snakes glared at us with rage.

The two snakes lunged at the two of us. We carefully timed ourselves, and jumped at the right moment to cause the snakes to collide. When that happened, we raised our legs as high as we could, and dropped kicked our respective snakes. The attack caused the remaining floor beneath us to shatter like glass. That finished them off. The beasts fell unconscious, and started to shrink to the size of average boas and anacondas. They were much easier for us to carry.

With the snakes' bodies out of the way, I saw an empty coffin at the bottom of the temple. Olrox saw it too. "Hm, must have been some kind of joke from Kitoth. Coffins are known as the final resting places for the living. The final house of the dead. Since Medusa would technically never be dead, he must have created that as a form of spite against her. To tell her that she'd never know rest." Hm, well, I'm about to use the legendary dwarf's own joke against him. After all, this coffin is were life shall return anew.

I first placed the unconscious Titanoboa and Megaconda into the coffin. Then, I opened all of the snakes' storage dimensions at once. We watched as all of the snakes fell into the coffin. I then slowly stepped away from the coffin... and saw a green light shine from inside the coffin. I then felt an aura. A cool aura. It felt so smooth, comparable to the underside of a snake. Still, I didn't feel any animosity. It felt more like the calm of a tamed garter snake. I was surprised by what I had seen next.

The first thing that came out of the coffin was a long and seductive leg. The skin was olive colored. It looked so smooth. Out of the coffin came the body of an extremely beautiful woman. Her hair was long. It reached her waist. It was as dark as mine. When she turned to face me, I felt breathless. She was beyond gorgeous. There was a bloodline, one that was possible as old, if not older than my own. The Romani bloodline, otherwise known as the Gypsies. I had seen images of them in ancient history books. She looked just like them. She had such deep, hazel colored eyes. Her facial features were enchanting. I actually felt bewitched. . . . A warlock being bewitched? Now isn't that something. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I couldn't believe that such a beautiful woman was the legendary Medusa. I guess I was staring to much, since Sharn smacked the back of my head. "Ow."

As I rubbed the back of my head, I looked back at the woman. This can't be Medusa. It had to be some kind of mistake.

"It's been quite some time, Medusa."

The beautiful woman looked Olrox right in the eye. "Indeed it has, Olrox. It's good to see that time hasn't affected you in any form." Olrox confirmed it. This was her. This was Medusa. She then turned her gaze to me, staring deeply into my eyes. "My, what a handsome young man. Is he my 'welcome back' gift?" Welco-?!

"Show some respect, Medusa. This is Adelram Umbra. The new Dark Lord."

Medusa's eyes shined with intrigue. "Oh, my! So this is our new leader?" She appeared before me in a split second. So fast! "He's so handsome. So powerful. So young. I approve." Easy! "Now then..." She then wrapper her arms around my neck, and stared lustfully into my eyes. "Shall we start the process of creating an heir, My Lord?" Wha-!?

"Dammit, will you stop trying to fuck our Lord, Medusa!" Brauner was fuming and blushing. Though, hearing what he said, I was blushing just as madly as he was.

"Oh, please, Brauner. Even the Dark Lord needs a successor. Might as well make one as soon as possible, correct?" I was completely red. Why are all the women I meet in the Southern Plains like this?! Why can't they be boring or plain or sisterly cute like the girls in my village?! Why did they have to be so damn beautiful and seductive?!

Medusa's lips were getting closer to my own. They were barely an inch away from mine... before one of Sharn's daggers came in between us. "You have three seconds to get away from him, or I'll turn you into snake soup."

Medusa slowly stepped away from me, before she gave an aggravated glare to Sharn. Sharn looked like she was ready to skin her alive. "Oh my, I didn't know you brought a new pet with you, Olrox."

"What was that, SNAKE?" She put so much emphasis on that word.

"Though, don't you think a pet orc is too... VULGAR for the Dark Lord?" She put a lot of emphasis on that word.

Sharn's temples were starting to bulge. She was getting angry. "Oh, you must really want to die, don't you?"

Medusa just laughed. "As if a mere orc can slay me."

"Oh, you wanna go, snake bitch?!" Sharn then took out both of her daggers and got into a fighting stance.

"No. I'd rather see you turn to stone and crumble." When she said that, a green aura completely enveloped her. When it was gone, I saw a legend. Medusa's lower body was that of a snake, like the legendary lamia. Her long black hair had transformed into hissing snakes. Her olive skin turned completely green, with scales covering her arms and tail. Her chest and her face didn't have any scales. The strangest thing about her... was the fact that she was still beautiful.

Medusa's eyes seemed to gleam a bit. That must have been how she turns her victims to stone. When nothing happened to Sharn, she was stunned. Sharn just gave her a feral grin. "That all you got?" When she said that, she activated her powers. Her daggers were surrounded by the black flame, and a black aura was completely surrounding her.

Medusa's shock left her. Her eyes turned cold and calculating. "So, our new Lord has imbued you with his power. Don't get to full of yourself. You are only alive because of him. You are still no match for me."

"Bring it on."

The two were glaring at each other, their auras were clashing. Their power was actually causing the temple to tremble a bit. The two would have fought each other... had Olrox not clapped hard enough to cause the entire temple to shake as if caught in an earthquake. "That's enough, the both of you." He gave a hard and commanding glare. It actually worked. I even saw Sharn shudder a bit. She deactivated her powers, while Medusa returned to her human form. "Medusa, we brought you back to help us, not fight us."

"Help with what exactly?"

"Adelram wants to bring back the castle. He needs our help to bring it back to it's complete state. He'll need all three of us to do that."

"Oh, I see. Very well. I do miss my old room. Shall we go home?"

With that, we left the temple. After all the damage we had done, I'm surprised it's still standing. Guess that shows just how great of a craftsman Kitoth was. I summoned Avion with a whistle. Medusa was quite impressed to see that I had tamed the legendary bird. As we flew, Medusa started to smell the air. She was reacting to something. (MATURE CONTENT)

"There's a hot spring nearby. I could most certainly use a bath. Shall we take a short rest, Lord Adelram?"

I saw no problem in that. Now that I think of it, I hadn't taken a bath since I started this journey. That was probably about a week ago. I must have been absolutely filthy. I had Avion land near the location Medusa had pointed out. Following the heat, steam, and smell, we easily found the spring. I used my powers to examine it. It was a natural spring. It held various minerals that would sooth the muscles, repair damaged skin, and pretty much rejuvenate the tired body. The heat of the water would easily clean off any dirt or grime on the body.

"This is such a great hot spring. I only wish I could remove my clothes so I can enjoy it." As if answering me, my clothes started to glow a dark aura. It then traveled to my back. All I was wearing were my jeans.

Brauner whistled at the act. "That's pretty handy. Plus, it turns into a pretty badass tattoo of a black dragon."

That was convenient. Now I can enjoy this hot spring. I took off my pants and hung them near a tree. I was about to step into the water, until Olrox grabbed my shoulder. "What do you think you are doing?" I looked at him, confused. He then pointed down at my groin. "You are still wearing your undergarments." I blushed. Did he expect me to enter without my underwear?! "My Lord, it is quite rude to wear something like that in a hot spring. Besides, there is nothing to be ashamed of. Look at Brauner." I looked to see that he was already relaxing in the spring. Behind him, I saw all of his clothes neatly hung on a tree branch... including his underwear. When I looked at Olrox, I had realized that he was completely nude as well. He nonchalantly entered the spring, and let out a content sigh. Feeling defeated, I removed my underwear, and entered the spring. It felt so nice. "See? Comfortable, isn't it?"

I didn't have the will to answer him. I was in a state of bliss. I could feel the water cleansing me. It was massaging every aching muscle in my body, and cleaning all of my pores. It felt so nice.

"Indeed. This spring was quite the find." My eyes popped open when I heard that voice. I then heard someone else entering the spring... directly to my right. When I looked, there she was. Medusa, covering her luscious, ample bosoms with her arm. When she entered the spring, she let out a content sigh... and removed her arm. I could see her nipples. Her olive skin was even darker there than the rest of her body. I quickly averted my gaze to my left... only to see Sharn enter as well.

Her breasts were completely exposed. They were floating on top of the surface of the spring. She placed her arms on the edge of the spring, one of them directly behind me. She let out a content sigh before she spoke. "I'll admit, this feels really nice. I guess you have some uses after all, snake."

"Hmph. Well, My Lord?" She placed her head on my shoulder, her breasts rubbing against my arm. "Are you enjoying the spring?" I was babbling.

"Bitch, if you don't get away from him right now, I'll skin you alive and cook you in this spring."

"Such vulgar language. Well, that's to be expected from a boorish orc."

"Ah! You wanna fight?!" Sharn was being surrounded by black aura, snarling at Medusa.

"Hmph, with pleasure. It has been quite some time since I have last eaten an orc." Medusa licked her lips in a devious manner as her green aura started pouring out, causing her skin to turn green.

I was seriously nervous. Two beautiful women were about to fight, and I was literally in the middle. I was hoping Olrox would do something to help, but he was pinching the bridge of his nose. Brauner had stars in his eyes. He was practically begging for them to fight. I just stood up and surprised everyone. "I think I've spent enough time in the spring. I'm going to go create our lodging."

Medusa tried to grab my arm, but I was already out. "My Lord, you haven't properly bathed yet." When she said that, I snapped my fingers. The water jumped out and completely enveloped me, from my head to my toes. I had it completely cleanse me of all dirt, sweat, blood, and grime that was on my body. After it was done, it was now filled with filth, so had the water drop all of the unwanted material, and dropped the pure water onto Sharn and Medusa's heads. They both shook themselves dry, their hair looking even more glossy than before.

Sharn was the first to speak. "Huh. That actually felt pretty good."

Medusa was now laying onto the edge of the spring, giving me a sweet smile. "Thank you for the kind gift, My Lord."

Her smile caused my to blush. After drying myself off with my powers and putting on my pants, I willed the rest of my tattoo to return to it's original, casual form. Now fully dressed, I walked into the forest to find a suitable area to build the lodge. (END OF MATURE CONTENT)

After finding a suitable clearing, I used my powers to create a two story cabin. It was made of wood and stone. It had five separate rooms, two on the top floor and three on the bottom, each with their own sleeping bag. There were four bathrooms at each corner of the cabin, though they were no different from outhouses. The only difference is that I made sure the "plumbing" was about one hundred meters deep. Any waste would surely decompose, becoming nutrients for the earth. Any odor would surely be trapped that deep into the earth. The den was more than large enough to accommodate all five of us. I could cook a Minotaur in this den... which I think I might as well do.

Fortunately for me, unfortunately for the Minotaur, there was one close by. I was able to fill a barrel with the creatures blood. I'm sure Olrox and Brauner would appreciate that. As I was cooking the beast, I heard a knock at the door. When I opened it, I saw Olrox waving his hand, still fuming steam from his bath. "Yo."

"So that legend was true? Vampires really can't enter a home without being invited?"

"Actually, we can." He proved his point by just walking in. "I just thought it would be better to let you know it was me. Much more courteous, don't you agree?"

"You know, you're quite the gentleman, Olrox. You always seem to be concerned with manners and traditions."

"It was how I was brought up. I see you've already made dinner." His gaze turned from the roasting Minotaur to the barrel of blood. He then took out his cup from its holder on his belt. "Mind if I fill it up?"

"It's for you and Brauner. It's yours, so of course you can."

He proceeded to fill his cup to the brim. He seemed to savor the taste of the Minotaur's blood. "Ah, a fresh kill. It's still warm. Hasn't even started to coagulate. It was also a fairly strong and young beast. You're quite the gourmet, My Lord."

I couldn't help but chuckle at that. Eventually, the other three entered the lodge. Sharn was nearly drooling at the sight of our meal. Of course, Medusa took a jab at that. Sharn was preparing to fight, until Olrox glared at them, letting out some of his aura. It scared the two warrior women into submission. After we had enjoyed our meal, along with some apples for dessert, we all chose our respective rooms to sleep in. Olrox and Brauner chose the top rooms. I chose the leftmost room. Sharn took the middle room, while Medusa begrudgingly took the rightmost room. As far as I had known, everyone had fallen asleep.

During the night, I felt a presence creep into my room. When I opened my eyes, I saw Medusa on top of me. Needless to say, I was surprised. I was about to ask her what she was doing, but she placed her index finger on my lips. "Shhh. Be calm, My Lord. This will not take too long. Though, from what I have seen of your power and capabilities, that might not be entirely true. Don't worry, I will show you many great pleasures, and will gladly carry your heir." My face turned beat red when she said that. She had removed her finger, and was about to kiss me.

"LIKE HELL YOU WILL!"

A hand grabbed Medusa by the shoulder and threw her out of my room. Medusa was able to easily land on her fit, and glared at an infuriated Sharn, who was cracking her knuckles. "I knew there was a sneaky snake in the grass. Looks like I need to do some exterminating."

"Tch, you really are an annoyance. Oh well, the world needs less orcs any way."

"Oh, that's it."

The two of them charged at each other. They tried to punch each other, but ended up catching the others attack. They were now caught in a grapple. I tried to stop them, but they were so immersed with beating one another, that they actually tried to punch me. I was able to easily catch their fists, but the sight caused another problem.

"Oh? A late night fight?"

I looked up to see Brauner with a smile on his face. He totally go the wrong idea. "Let me join!" He then jumped from the second story.

I was able to jump out of the way just in time. It was chaos. Two of the Dark Generals and the Strongest Orc were fighting. Thankfully, they weren't using any of their powers, but it was still chaotic. I had no idea how to stop them.

"Ahem."

Everything stopped. The room turned cold. We all turned to see a very annoyed Olrox, and the three fighters were now sweating bullets. "Do you have any idea how loud you idiots are being?" He then cracked his knuckles. All three of the fighters' faces turned blue. Olrox punched Brauner into the ceiling beneath his room. He then punched Medusa into the wall of her room, and Sharn into the wall of hers. I was shocked to see Brauner dangling lifelessly from the ceiling, and seeing Medusa and Sharn hang from the walls of their rooms. What scared me most was the fact that I had reinforced the lodge with magic. Everything from the floor boards to the roof should be stronger than even steel, titanium, and tungsten combined! It should take an army of Minotaurs to so much as scratch the lodge, yet Olrox planted three of the strongest people I've ever met into these powerful walls with just one punch! I was astonished. If he's this strong as a vampire, then he must have been one of the most powerful men on Earth when he was human.

Olrox yawned before walking back to his room and wishing me good night. I wished him the same as I stared at the hanging, unconscious Brauner. I used my magic to have him be sucked back into his room, and repair the hole. I did the same thing for Medusa and Sharn. I was now, officially, exhausted. As soon as I went into my room, and fell onto my sleeping bag, I was already dead asleep.

 **A/N: You DO NOT wake up Olrox. Not unless you want him to punch you into a wall. Hey, vampires need sleep too. Now that Adelram has Medusa, he can now bring back the Dark Lord's castle. Can't wait for that. So what do you guys think of Medusa? Sharn hates her already. Oh well, get used to her, my sexy orc. You're gonna deal with her quite a lot. Next time, we're going to see a historic building be repaired, and be greeted to a surprise guest. Until then. . . . . Hey, has anyone out there actually eaten snake?**


	18. Chapter 16

"You really want to just leave it?" Olrox had his eyebrow raised, questioning my reasoning.

"Yeah. This cabin is the easiest way for me to find this hot spring. Even if I'm going to bring back the castle, I'm not going to spend every single day in it. This cabin will be a great vacation spot. Besides, I'd like to bring my kids here one day."

I heard Sharn and Medusa giggle a bit when I said that. When I turned around, I saw both women blushing and smiling. Sharn was scratching her nose with her other hand on her hip, while Medusa was rubbing her hands together while wiggling in a cute manner. They both spoke at the same time. "Of course. Our family would definitely enjoy this." When they realized that they had said the same thing, they stopped in place and just glared at each other. I could practically see the lighting in their eyes clash. Olrox and I just sighed, while Brauner looked like he was preparing for a show.

Before things could escalate, I called Avion. The winds caused from the flap of his wings interrupted the girls' lightning glare. Olrox was once again guiding Avion. Brauner was lying on the tip of Avion's tail, while the girls were sitting on the base of Avion's wings. We were heading towards were we resurrected Olrox. Eventually, we flew right past it. In about an hour, we had reached a clearing. Well, it was more like an archaeological site. There were ruins everywhere. I noticed that we were on a cliff, right above a beautiful, shimmering lake.

"Well, here we are." I looked at Olrox. He had his arms crossed, analyzing the site. He then turned his gaze to me. "Shall we begin?"

So this was it. I was about to bring back a piece of history. When I gave my nod of approval, Brauner and Medusa stood next to us. We then started to concentrate. Our auras started to flow out of us. Olrox's silver aura, Brauner's red aura, Medusa's green aura, and my black aura. The energy started to pool around the site. It was absorbing the ruins. Eventually, there was nothing but a circle of energy. Then, I saw it. The tip of a tower started to rise. Then, a tower that seemed to scrape the very sky shot out of the energy. As the tower rose, it grew in width and design. Multiple towers seemed to emerge from our energy. When it was all over, we were standing before a doorway that absolutely dwarfed us. The castle was... magnificent.

It was gothic, yet so elegant. There were multiple towers, but the one in the center of the castle was the largest and most powerful of them all. The castle looked to have countless rooms, countless secrets. The entire castle looked like it was directly in front of the full moon, giving it a mystical and ethereal aura to it. It couldn't take my eyes off of it. This wasn't just the home of the Dark Lord, not just the home of Olrox and the other Generals, not even just MY NEW home. This castle... was a work of gothic art.

"Lord Adelram, I now welcome you... to Castle Dracul."

Castle Dracul? Dracul. . . . Why did that name sound so familiar?

"That's not exactly true, Olrox." I looked at Medusa, wondering what she meant. "Adelram is the new lord of the castle, so it's only fitting that it should be renamed. From now on, this castle should be named... Castle Umbra."

Castle Umbra. It has a nice ring to it. I'm sure Cereza and the rest of my "sisters" would sure enjoy it. With the castle now rebuilt and renamed, we entered the castle. The interior was just as exquisite as the exterior. There were beautiful rugs and curtains, shining sets of armor lining the walls, expensive looking candle holders on the walls with burning candles that lit the castle, and furniture that put the homes of a noble to shame.

"Aah. It's good to be home." Brauner was stretching and taking in deep breaths. "Well, I'm going to see if all my stuff was brought back. See ya guys and gals later!" With that, he used the pillars as spring boards to climb the castle. I had lost sight of him completely.

"I am also curious about the status of my own room. I bid you adieu, My Lord." When Medusa said that, she turned herself into a swarm of snakes, and slithered into different cracks in the castle walls. Sharn was the first to speak. "Huh, so that's how the snake woman travels."

I asked Olrox if he wanted to examine his own room. "No. You and Ms. Sharn know nothing about the castle. The two of you need at least one guide." I was about to thank him, but Sharn spoke first. "That's okay, Olrox. I'll explore the castle myself. Much more fun that way. You two be safe now." She then took off running. She used her powers to jump into the air, and ran into one of the many corridors of the castle. I guess that just leaves me and Olrox.

Before Olrox could lead me anywhere, I noticed a large door. I walked over to it and examined it. It was strange. There was no way to open it. No handle. No lever. No lock. No keyhole. Nothing. It was just a giant, iron door. I gave it a knock, and heard that it was hollow. There was something behind that door. Seeing that the castle was now technically mine, and that I could just repair it later, I saw no problem with just destroying it. I then tried to punch it. Nothing happened. I started repeatedly attacking it, increasing my strength. When I finally used my strongest punch and saw that it had no affect, all I could do was marvel at the mighty door.

"As I thought." I looked at Olrox. He was watching me the entire time. He started to walk toward me. "That door was made by a certain man. Only he can open it. In fact, there are many things in this castle that only he can make use of." I asked Olrox what he meant, and why I couldn't break the door. "This door was created by a scientist. He was the one who created many of the marvels in this castle. If we want it to truly be at it's peak, we need him. The reason you couldn't break the door was because it was crafted by a metal of his creation. The absolute most powerful metal in the world. He made it powerful enough to even withstand the power of the Dark Lord himself. The Dark Lord and Candor the Hero were the only two people known to have been able to cut through the metal. He called the Victorium Ore. Not the most imaginative name, but what can you do?" This scientist sounded like an interesting man. I eventually asked what his name was. "The scientists name... is Victor Frankenstein. He was the scientist that the Dark Lord kept in his wing. The reason for this was because Victor had a special skill. He was able to bring life to the dead... without the use of magic." I was astonished. I didn't think such a thing was possible. He could use necromancy... without using necromancy? I needed to meet him.

"Olrox, is Victor like you? Is he a vampire?"

"No. He's human."

. . . . . . Huh? "Wait. . . . If he's human. . . . And the Dark Lord was killed one hundred years ago. . . . THEN VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN IS DEAD!" Humans only live for eight years at the least. The oldest living human died at one hundred and twenty-two. Even if Victor lived that long, he'd be a shriveled old man who wouldn't even be able to walk, let alone man the castle.

"No, he's alive and well. He should actually be quite healthy. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he still looked as young as he did all those years ago." I just looked at Olrox like he was mad. Doesn't he know that humans are not immortals? "Don't look at me like that. There's something you should know about Victor. He discovered the formula for eternal youth. Just like with you being an Umbra and Dark Lord, and with me being a vampire, he can't age. He can't die of natural causes or even supernatural causes. He's an immortal." My jaw practically smashed into the marble floor. Just how brilliant was this man?! "He calls the potion ambrosia. According to him, it just takes one sip of the drink to gain immortality, but it's apparently extremely delicious. So much so, that he became addicted to it. When he was still here, he would go through gallons of the stuff. Though, maybe taking more of it made him more invincible."

"More invincible? Why do you say that?"

"Remember when I said that he was able to bring things to life? He would spend hours on end in his lab, creating a variety of zombies, ghouls, and golems. When he wasn't doing that, he would try to create new substances and ores. It was how he created the Victorium Ore. Though he had many great successes, he had even more failures. Most of them caused explosions that would shake the very castle itself. I was once even able to bear witness to one of those failures. The explosion caused his entire body to liquefy. His blood completely covered his lab. There wasn't even any trace of his body. Then, I saw his blood begin to gather. The blood was able to combine and take form. I watched as he regenerated everything in a matter of seconds. His skeleton. His nerves. His organs. His muscles. His flesh. It was like he was completely reborn. That is how potent his ambrosia is."

Now I knew I needed to meet this man. If someone that brilliant exists, he could be of great help to me. I asked Olrox if he could take me to him, and he readily agreed. He said that the trip would take about two or three hours. The others would be preoccupied with exploring the castle. They wouldn't even realize we left. On that note, we climbed onto Avion and flew towards Victor. It must have been beyond the springs, since we just flew over Olrox's battleground.

* * *

"Dammit. What does it take to catch up with this guy?"

"Please don't complain, Master Grant. It's unbecoming of a Paladin."

"Come on, Shanny. I know you're thinkin' the same thing."

"I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer."

While Master Grant and Master Shanoa were having another one of their quarrels, I was trying to find some sign leading to Ram. How was he getting around so fast? Then, we heard thunder. We all turned toward the direction to see a giant stone eagle flying towards us. Each flap of it's mighty wings caused the sky to roar. It was such a powerful and majestic creature. Then I sensed something. Something... familiar. . . . . .

"IT'S RAM!"

All the other Paladins turned to me, wondering what I meant. "Ram is riding that creature!"

"Seriously!? You're boyfriend is riding that thing?!"

The creature flew right over us. It's shadow completely covered us. The sight was astounding, but I was able to quickly compose myself. "Quickly! We need to follow the creature!"

We tried to follow the creature, but it was so fast. No wonder Ram was able to travel so quickly. Eventually, we were surrounded by steam. It impaired our vision, and we had lost sight of the eagle, as well as Ram. Still, at the end of the steam was a hot spring. I knew that we could still catch up with the eagle, but we haven't bathed in such a long time. I was actually pretty sweaty. I really wanted to take a bath in the spring, but I also really wanted to chase Ram. Ooh, what should I do?

"It's alright." I turned to see Master Sypha, smiling. "We can easily track down that beast, anytime. We know for certain that Adelram is connected to it, and locating it will be an extremely simple task. Also, I would really love to indulge in this bath."

I was happy to hear that. That is until Master Grant spoke. "Okay, let's get in." Before he could even touch his shirt, I was already pointing my katana at him. Master Sypha was already charging a lightning spell in her hand, pointing it at Master Grant. Master Shanoa was pointing an arrow infused with holy magic at him. We all spoke at once, our eyes shining dangerously. "Ladies first." Master Grant was waving his hands in defense.

"Master Angelica, everyone." We all turned to look at Master David. "I think you all are going to want to see this."

We followed Master David to a... cabin. When I walked over to it, and touched it, I could feel it. "Ram built this."

"Oh, what? So he found the spring first?"

"So the evidence suggest. Still, I can't help but feel proud of him. Though he probably used magic, he did a very good job. This cabin was built in a professional manner. I can't see a single thing to criticize about it." Master Hammer was thoroughly examining Ram's cabin. Getting praised by Master Hammer is quite the feat.

"Still, there's something really odd about the cabin." We all looked at Master David. He led us inside the cabin. It was fairly simple. It looked like it could easily accommodate all six of us in the den alone. I saw four separate doors at each corner of the cabin. Knowing Ram, those were probably bathrooms. He's always been a bit weird about things like that. Still, what caught my eye... was the five rooms.

The cabin was two stories high. On the second floor were two rooms. The ground floor had three rooms. It was obvious that these rooms would be used as bedrooms.

"Do you see what's strange about the cabin?"

Master Sypha spoke before I could. "Master Angelica, from what you've told us, Adelram isn't the type to make wasteful decisions. There would be no reason for him to make a two story cabin, let alone one with five separate bedrooms."

"And there's no way in hell he'd make this cozy little cabin for us. There aren't even enough rooms for all six of us." Master Grant had his arms cross while studying the cabin.

"I know that Ram made a room for himself. I also remember you telling me that he was traveling with an orc." I still don't like thinking about that, especially when Master Grant mentioned that it was an... ATTRACTIVE FEMALE orc. When I see Ram, I'm not just going to punch him and slap him until his face looks like a baboon's behind, I will play "kickball" with his "special balls".

* * *

A cold shiver went up my spine. I even grabbed my crotch for some reason, like I was trying to protect it from a hammer.

Olrox must have noticed. "Are you okay, Adelram?"

"Oh, I'm just fine." I am, right? Right?

* * *

He's strong. He can handle any form of punishment I give his "jewels". Besides, I'm not going to break them or anything. I'm going to need them for when we-SNAP OUT OF IT, ANGELICA! There was something more important at hand. "Two of these rooms would definitely be for Ram and the orc, but who were the other three rooms for?" We all paused to think about it.

"Well, it doesn't really matter right now." We all turned to look at Master Shanoa. "We'll eventually run into Adelram. When we do, we'll most likely get our answers." We all agreed with her.

When that was said, Master Sypha, Master Shanoa, and myself went to the hot spring. Master Grant, Master Hammer, and Master David said that they would provide dinner. After a relaxing soak, we had returned to enjoy a succulent Minotaur roast. After the men had their bath, we decided how the rooms would be divided. It was agreed that the women would have the bottom floor. I got the leftmost room, Master Sypha got the middle room, and Master Shanoa got the rightmost room. Master Hammer and Master David decided to share one of the rooms on the top floor, giving the other room to Master Grant. After that was decided, we all decided to get some rest. Ram's eagle should be easy to both sense and hear. When it comes close to us, we will be prepared to give chase to the beast.

When I went into my room, I could smell him. This was his room. This was were Ram slept. When I placed my head onto my pillow, I could smell his scent on the wood floor. It almost felt like I was sleeping with him. It felt like he was sleeping in the same room as I was. It felt so good. So comforting. . . . Oh, Ram, I really do miss you.

* * *

I was surprised by what I saw. The entire Southern Plains I've traveled through was a sea of trees being bathed by moon light. What I saw was nothing like that. There was a tall mountain. It was slightly shorter than my castle, but that wasn't the surprising thing. The mountain was completely surrounded by clouds, all of them bursting with lightning. I saw more clouds gathering around the mountain, continuously striking it.

"It's made of iron." I looked at Olrox, eyes asking for an explanation. "The mountain. It's literally made completely of iron, and a strange type at that. For some reason, it will always attract lightning, no matter what. Victor's been using that mountain and it's ore for his experiments ever since he found it. Since the fall of the Dark Lord, this is most likely were he'd be. Once he finds something he likes, he never gets rid of it until he finds absolutely no use for it. He's a bit of a hoarder, though not severely. One year is usually the max for him if he doesn't use it. That mountain pretty much has limitless uses for him. No way he'd abandon it."

He guided Avion toward the base of the mountain. Avion didn't seem to mind the lightning. Though, he did screech at the sky when lightning struck dangerously close to him.

We searched the mountain, and found a tunnel. It had a stairway. This was the entrance to Frankenstein's lab. Time to meet an immortal human.

As we walked down the stares, we heard an explosion. It wasn't lightning, more like the kind of explosion caused by a failed spell. "Yup. Victor's here alright." When Olrox said that, we rushed down the stairway.

We were greeted by smoke, and the sound of coughing. "Dammit. That wasn't supposed to happen. Where did I go wrong this time? Was it the wrong mix? No. Maybe it was the wrong... Ah! So that's what was wrong!" We walked toward the voice. I saw a white lab coat covered in soot. Victor was grabbing a lot of different vials filled with strange liquids. When he mixed two of them, it turned a strange shade of blue. Then lightning burst out of the vial, just barely missing his face. "Eureka! Lightning in a bottle!"

"Well, that was an interesting sight." When Victor heard Olrox's voice, he quickly turned around. He looked so young. He looked like he was at the most twenty five. He had light brown hair and eyes. His skin was a bit pale. Must be because he spends so much time in his lab. Then again, there's no sunlight in the Southern Plains. He wore square rimmed glasses that looked to have absolutely no damage. How could they not have so much as a scratch after that explosion? "It's been a long time, Victor."

Victor's glasses reflected the light so much, that I couldn't even see his eyes. It looked like his glasses had a white film over them. His body slumped over, and his mouth was slightly open in an O manner. "O-o-o-o-o..." He probably couldn't believe his eyes. After a while, he threw his arms in the air and screamed at the top of his lungs: "OLROOOOOOX!" In a split second, he ran towards Olrox and started examining his body, lifting his arms and examining the muscles in his legs. "How the hell is this possible!? I saw your corpse! They destroyed your heart with holy magic! You were stabbed by the Deum Fidem! You had no blood whatsoever! You didn't even have a bottle of Saint's Tears!"

Victor was even examining Olrox's hair. "About that, you can thank him for my return." Olrox pointed to me. Victor looked at me with shining glasses. "Victor, I'd like you to meet Adelram Umbra. He's the one who brought me back to life, as well as the new Dark Lord."

I didn't think it was possible, but Victor's glasses shined even brighter than before. "THE NEW DARK LORD?!" He then appeared right in front of me. Before I could say anything, he started to medically examine me. He placed a tongue depressor in my mouth and shined a flashlight down my throat. He then took my blood pressure, a blood sample, a tissue sample; and examined my heart, lungs, muscles, and sight. He was writing things down a chart furiously. "Physical Health: exceptional. Physical Strength: beyond exceptional. Blood Pressure: exceptional. Heart Rate: exceptional. Lung Capacity: exceptional. Eye Sight: a tad bit below average." When he said that last bit, he ran to a different area of the lab. I heard all kinds of clutter falling. He then emerged from the room with a pair of square rimmed glasses of a different design from his own. He then placed them onto my eyes. "Now, Mr. Adelram, please read that chart at the end of the room." I did as he asked. "Eye Sight with Glasses: beyond exceptional. Attractiveness with and without glasses:..." He then took off the glasses and put them back on my face. "respectively exceptional and beyond exceptional."

". . . Olrox?"

"Hm?"

I looked at Olrox, slightly adjusting the glasses with one hand. "Did he just say I look more attractive wearing glasses?"

"He did, and I have to agree. I guess you're one of those types who look even better with glasses than without them." I couldn't help but blush at that comment. Cereza wore glasses, and she was beyond sexy. Was that how I looked? I could only imagine Sharn and Medusa's reactions, but if Angelica saw me with them on. . . . Hm, what would happen?

"ALRIGHT!" Victor's scream brought me out of my thoughts. I then looked at him, wondering what he was going to say. "Approved! You are Dark Lord material, Master Adelram! Oh, and you can keep the glasses. They look good on you."

"Uh, thank you."

"Alright. You can go now." He then turned toward his desk.

"Huh?"

"You just came here to get my approval, right? Well, I've examined you and have passed you. You can leave now."

Olrox spoke before I could. "Actually, Victor, we came for you." Victor slightly turned his head. "Adelram, Brauner, Medusa and myself have just recently brought back the castle; and we need you to-"

"YOU WHAT?!" Victor ran toward Olrox and grabbed him by the shirt, shaking him violently. "My babies! Are my babies alright?!" Before Olrox could answer him, Victor started shaking him violently enough to cause after images of Olrox's head. "Come on, man! Say something!"

Olrox finally got out of Victor's grip and punched him over the head. "Stop shaking me!" Victor was nursing the swelling on his head with tears in his eyes, while Olrox was straightening himself out. "I don't know." Victor looked up at Olrox. "Adelram found one of the doors that only you can open the moment we went inside the castle. We haven't had the chance to explore the castle, so I have no idea what the status of your experiments are."

"THEN WHAT THE HELL ARE WE WAITING HERE FOR?!" Victor then proceeded to bring out some strange device, and suck in all of his equipment into the contraption. It must have been his own version of the Storage Spell. In less than a minute, the cave was devoid of any of Victor's belongings. Before he left, he kissed the wall of the mountain. "Don't worry, Mary. Daddy will be back soon enough. Now, OFF TO CASTLE DRACUL!"

"Castle Umbra."

"OFF TO CASTLE UMBRA!"

He then ran out of the cave. Using our powers, Olrox and I were already out of the mountain before Victor was even halfway out. I ended up having to grab him. He would have ran straight into the forest. "What are you doing?! It'll take us at least three days to reach the castle!"

"Actually, it'll only take three hours." Victor looked confused when I said that. He even stopped running. To show him what I meant, I called Avion. Victor was shocked. He was completely astonished, his jaw hanging loosely.

"W-W-W-W-W-WUNDERBAR!"

Huh? What was that? Was that supposed to be "wonderful"? I looked at Olrox, hoping he would be able to explain the strange gibberish Victor was now screaming. "It's an old, dead language. Victor lived during the time when it was at it's peak. As such, he's the only one who can speak the language fluently. He has a habit of speaking it when he's at his most excited. Once he sees something that interests him, he goes into a frenzy. It happens so often, that I even had to learn the language just so I can understand his mad rants. I can't speak the language at all, but I can understand him."

"So, what is he saying?"

"He's impressed that you were able to tame Avion. It's one of sixteen legendary creatures. The Dark Lord wanted him to capture and experiment on them so he could turn them into living weapons. He's going on about how his golems couldn't even scratch the creatures, let alone capture them. He's also saying that he's seriously looking forward to putting Avion under the knife."

"WHAT?! VICTOR, YOU ARE NOT GOING TO CUT AVION!"

"Aw, at least one blood sample!"

"NO!"

"Hair sample?"

"No!"

". . . Stone-skin sample?"

". . . Avion?" Avion looked at me with a curious gaze of his blue eyes. "Peck."

He didn't even hesitate. In a split second, Avion's beak pierced Victor's skull. He fell to the ground, blood and brains flowing out of the skull. Before I could feel bad about possibly killing the only scientist who could unlock my castle's full potential, the fluid and brain returned back to his skull, with the wound healing nearly instantly. He then popped up, wide eyed. "Whoo! That was great! Now this is one hell of a creature! And you, Your Majesty! You're amazing! To think you have that much control over it! Are you sure you don't want me to upgrade him?"

"No."

"Okay, okay. Can't blame a guy for trying. So, shall we go?"

I was wondering when he'd ask that. We all got onto Avion. With a few mighty flaps, we were off, flying right back to Castle Umbra.

* * *

I was sleeping soundly until heard the sound of thunder. I didn't smell rain, nor did I feel any electricity. However, I did feel vibrations. They weren't from a lightning strike. It was being caused by something else. The flapping of wings.

IT WAS HIM! RAM'S EAGLE!

I immediately ran out of my room, seeing the other Paladins run out as well. They sensed it too, and they knew it was him as well. We all ran out of the cabin, past the hot springs, and into a clearing. We had arrived in time to see the eagle flying behind us.

I was prepared to chase it, until Master Shanoa shot an arrow at it's tail. There was a rope attached to it. "Grab on!" We did just that. To prevent any injury from the trees, we climbed the rope to be just high enough to avoid any tree branches, but low enough for our presence to be hidden from Ram. Master Sypha and I even placed a cloaking spell on us to avoid even Ram's keen senses.

It took quite a bit of strength to hold onto the rope. The eagle was flying very quickly, and we had to fend off some flying monsters. From where we were hanging, I saw an entire swarm of giant vampire bats being shot out of the air as soon as they were over the eagle. That must have been Ram. What was he planning to do with all of those bats?

The eagle flew over so many beautiful sites. Eventually, we were greeted with the sight of an extremely beautiful lake. It was shimmering so brightly from the light of the full moon. The spell of it's beauty was only broken when I heard Master Grant speak. "No fucking way." I looked in the direction he was staring at to see what had astonished him so much, only for my jaw to hang open.

"He..."

"He..."

"He..."

"He..."

"He..."

"He..."

"HE HAS A FUCKING CASTLE NOW?!"

 **A/N: Yes, yes he does. How do ya like them apples? Adelram Umbra is now the lord of a castle, and a pretty badass looking one at that. Now that he has Victor, he can fully explore the castle. I'm sure you want to know what Victor's "babies" are, don't you? Well, if you know anything about Victor Frankenstein, then you should know. Well, let's explore ourselves a castle... next chapter.**

Lord Dracula was recovering quite nicely. At first, his diet was of the blood of goblins. When I went to search the village of those green dwarfs, most of the fools were playing around in a bar. I even saw one of them being chased by a female goblin with a rolling pin. A happily married couple. Sickening. They should be serving their Lord, not wasting their time drowning in alcohol. However, since most of the fools were in a bar, capturing a solitary goblin soldier was quite simple. A blood of a soldier is far more valuable anyway.

His next meal was of orc. I found a group of four, but only captured three. One of them, an orc wielding two axes was far too much trouble. Besides, His Majesty needed to be fed.

After that, he was fed the blood of many different monsters. Trolls. Ogres. Diablo Tigers. Minotaurs. I was even able to feed him the blood of a Hydra. The poison in their blood is quite delicious. It also makes us even stronger against poison based attacks.

Personally, my favorite hunt was the most recent. Oh, the miserable look on Cornell's face. He looked so horrified... when I brought one of his brothers before Lord Dracula. "DAMN YOU! YOU UNHOLY BITCH! WHY! WHY NOT MY BLOOD?! WHY ONE OF MY CLANSMEN?!"

I couldn't help but giggle at his cries of horror. "Aw, too bad, Cornell. You are a Dark General. You still have your uses... alive. However, your clansmen are still fair game. They should be honored. Their blood will help rejuvenate Lord Dracula, and aid in his recovery."

"NO! DAMMIT! TAKE MY BLOOD! FEAST ON ME! LEAVE MY FAMILY ALONE!"

"CORNELL!" We all looked at the wolfman. He was smiling at Cornell, tears falling from his face, with Lord Dracula's powerful hand around his pathetic throat. "It's alright brother." I watched Cornell's face turn from rage to absolute pain. Oh, such a beautiful expression. Those tears looked absolutely succulent. "I don't blame you brother. I accept my fate. Just promise me... Promise me... that you will live... for the both of us."

"Hmph, what utter nonsense." When Lord Dracula spoke the truth, he plunged his beautiful fangs into the unworthy mutt. I watched as the wolf shriveled into a husk. Then, I heard music. The beautiful music... of a man's spirit being broken completely. I looked behind me to watch Cornell fall to the ground, crying like the pathetic mongrel that he was.

I looked toward Lord Dracula. He looked so content. He was sitting back into his throne, eyes closed from pure bliss. Such a gorgeous sight. Then, his eyes shot open. He then smiled, and started to chuckle. "Finally. Well done, boy."

"Lord Dracula?"

His Lordship turned his gaze to me, his smile still on his lips. "Carmilla, are you ready to return home?"

He did it. The heretic did it. He returned Castle Dracul. "Yes, My Lord."

His Lordship gave me a beautiful smile, one filled to the brim with power. "Death." The Reaper appeared before his lordship, bowing before the now fully restored King. "Have you brought them?"

"I have, Master." Death snapped his fingers. Out of the darkness appeared five coffins. When he opened them, I was surprised by what was inside. Does our Lord's brilliance know no end?

"Olrox." I looked at His Majesty. He was resting his head on his right hand. "Brauner. Medusa. And of course, Adelram. With these soldiers, and the rest of our army, those fools will fall at our hands. With their deaths, nothing will stand in our way. The night shall know no equal, and the light of God shall be extinguished once and for all. The humans, the elves, the dwarfs, and even the angels will fall at our feet. This world... SHALL BE OURS TO RULE!"

I was so excited. I couldn't contain myself. I could finally bear witness to the death of that accursed heretic, and Lord Dracula shall make Paradise! Even Death was trembling with joy. Without even thinking, we both bowed before the greatest power this world shall ever see. "Yes, My Lord! May your reign last for all eternity!"

 **A/N: Oooh. . . . Not good.**


	19. Chapter 17

"Uh, we should probably cut off the rope."

"Why do you say that, Master Angelica?"

"Ram would be able to see us as soon as he lands his eagle. We should be as far away from the castle, so we can sneak up on him. It would also be a great way to give us time to come up with a plan."

"Master Angelica is right. We have no idea what Adelram has in that castle. We need to be careful, and analyze the castle. Master Shanoa, cut the rope."

"Yes. Master Sypha."

We all landed at the bottom of the hill. We all looked up at the castle. It was quite the spectacle. It was immense in size. The fact that it was right in front of the full moon gave it a dark visage. So, this was were Ram was. Finally, I can see that idiot again.

* * *

"DADDY'S HOME KIDDIES!"

". . . . . . He just ran through door."

"Yup."

"Does he even feel pain?"

"I honestly don't know. If you haven't noticed, he's... a bit eccentric."

"Oh, only a bit?"

Olrox actually gave an awkward chuckle. He didn't even try to look me in the eye. "Well, despite his... uh... lack of sanity, he's still quite brilliant. He'll be a great asset to us."

"Yeah. Still, I'm kinda curious about what his 'babies' are. I'm going to follow him."

"Just follow the dust cloud."

It really was that easy. There was literally a cloud of dust from where he ran. For a scientist that spends most of his time in a lab, he was really fast. Eventually, we had reached his lab. What a sight.

There were all kinds of strange mechanisms. They looked useless, until Victor flipped a few switches. The machines were then filled with lightning, but I didn't sense any magic. Gears around the room started to move, and it sounded like the castle was roaring with life. I wonder what they were doing.

* * *

"Huh. Victor must be back." Brauner knew that when he was watching the machines in his room roar back to life. The one he was especially waiting for was an android that Victor created for him. Brauner loved fighting with the robot. It always gave him a challenge. When he saw it stand tall before him, he gave a feral smile and cracked his knuckles. "Welcome back, old friend."

* * *

"Ah, Victor. I must admit that it's nice to have you back." Medusa's room was a bit to cold for her liking. However, as soon as Victor activated his mechanisms, the heater he installed in her room activated. It was returning to the temperature she enjoyed so much. Even her bathtub was being filled with hot water again. When it reached the perfect temperature, she removed her clothes and entered the bath, even allowing her beloved snakes to join her. "Mm, is so nice to take a warm bath in my room again."

* * *

"Whoa!" Sharn was confused about what was happening. One second, she was exploring a dark corridor; the next second, it was bathed in light. She looked up to see the chandlers glowing, but it wasn't fire. "What the hell?"

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?"

We all turned towards Master Grant. We saw a strange object appear from the side of the hill. It was glowing. Then, a strange spell shot out of it. We dodged it just in time. There was charred earth were the spell struck. It would have caused a massive amount of damage. Then, many more appeared. We dodged a barrage of spells, but it felt so strange. Wasn't this sorcery? Why couldn't I sense any magic? Then, more traps appeared. Blades shot from the ground. Wires tried to entangle us. The earth tried to smash us. So much sorcery. Were was the magic being cast from? Why couldn't I sense it? Does Ram really have a sorcerer that powerful in his castle?

* * *

Victor's lab was now shining brightly. I could see everything clearly. So many strange mechanisms. Did he really make all of this by himself?

As I was looking around the lab, I turned around to see... something. It's eyes were bandaged. Walking back, I got a good glimpse at the creature. It didn't look like any creature I've ever seen before, in life or in books. It actually looked stitched together, like an artificial animal. It looked like it had different body parts from different beasts. Still, the creature looked weirdly... "Cute?"

"ISN'T IT!?" I looked behind me to see a happy Victor, glasses shining as brightly as his glowing machines on the ceiling. "I HAVE A LOT OF CREATURES JUST LIKE HIM! MY LORD, I INTRODUCE YOU TOOO..." He then grabbed my shoulder and turned me toward a part of the lab I hadn't looked at. "MY BABIES!"

There were hundreds of them. None of them looked the same. I could have sworn some of them had human parts. Some were as small as dwarfs, while others were arguably bigger than Avion. How did I not notice them?

"These are my pride and joy! It took me years to build them, and some of them are successful!"

"Successful?"

Victor then became a bit depressed. "Yes. Though they can all move, they don't last long. The most some of them can do is take a couple of steps. It's a shame. Many of them are powerful enough to rival an army. I just can't seem to make them move properly. They all have powerful brains and strong hearts, and their energy supply should all be sufficient, but they just can't do anything without an order. It's like they're just a bunch of soulless robots."

"But Victor, they are soulless. You can't recreate a soul, not even with sorcery."

Victor sighed at that. "That's true. If only I had something that could act as a soul. If I had something like that, then my children could finally be complete." Victor sighed deeply before he spoke again. "But, that's not possible."

I stared at a depressed Victor, but that didn't last long. He just clapped his hands together and went back to his work table. He brought out a bunch of different chemicals and books. I guess all he needs to do is work to get his mind off of his "children".

"Hey, it's been a while since I've seen this." I looked behind me to look at Olrox. He was holding a bottle that was strangely shaped like a praying Virgin Mary. He then removed the head of the bottle and sniffed the opening. "It smells like it was just made yesterday. Impressive." He then took a sip out of the bottle. "And it tastes just as fresh."

"What is it?"

"Saint's Tears."

"Saint's Tears?"

"Victor made it. It's artificial blood." I was surprised by what he said. Artificial blood? People can make that? "It has all of the same properties as blood, as well as the same taste. Victor made it for me and Brauner. It was to be our food should our fights on the battlefield be prolonged with no available source of blood. It fuels us the same way as any other blood, and even strengthens us. It's also quite delicious, so much so that we've been treating it more like a meal than an actual supplement for the real thing." When he said that, he poured the rest of the liquid straight into his mouth. It even looked like blood. When he emptied the bottle, he threw it to the ground, smashing the bottle.

"Dammit, Olrox!" I turned around to see an aggravated Victor. "How many times do I have to tell you and Brauner to not smash those damned bottles?! Those aren't easy to make!"

"Sorry about that."

"IF YOU'RE SORRY, THEN DON'T FUCKING BREAK THEM!" After yelling loudly enough to make some of the vials shake, Victor turned toward his table.

I couldn't help but give a nervous chuckle at Victor's reaction. "So I take it you won't need that canteen I made you anymore, huh?"

"Hm? Oh, no. I still plan on using it. Victor's brew of artificial blood may be delicious, but this canteen is a great way to carry more exotic blood that I might find. Brauner would think the same thing. Besides, if I find a new creature, I could bring the blood to Victor with this canteen. He could experiment on it without it being contaminated."

"You damn well better! Do you know how hard it is to purify blood?! If you can bring me exotic blood without any contaminants, then you better protect that canteen with your life!"

I couldn't help but chuckle at their little conversation. It actually felt good to know my creation wouldn't be thrown away.

I continued to look around Victor's lab. He had a lot of jars filled with... pretty macabre things. He also had a lot of hybrid weapons. Some of them had containers attached to them, filled with a strange looking liquid. Though, what caught my eye was possible the most humble looking item. It was a small, black object. It's handle fit perfectly in my hand. The barrel of the device was small. It also had a small trigger, with a guard around it. I found a book in the Western Plains that had a picture of this exact same thing. I think it was called a "handgun", a pistol to be more specific. It couldn't believe that a small device like this was considered a weapon.

"Hm? Ah! Lord Adelram, don't touch that!"

I looked at Victor, wondering what he was going on about. I hadn't realized I had pulled the trigger. Then, something amazing happened.

* * *

We were all panting. Those traps were quite difficult to dodge. Still, we made it to the top of the hill, not a scratch on us. Though we were currently low on energy, we were quickly regaining our strength. Master Grant was the first to speak. "That kid... has a hell of a lot of explaining to do."

"No, he doesn't." I looked at Master Shanoa, her eyes shadowed by her hair. She was holding her bow, an arrow already set to fire. She them revealed her eyes, a dangerous look in them. "He has a lot of punishment to prepare for."

"Calm down, Master Shanoa." I looked at Master Sypha. "We'll have plenty of time to discipline him after we find him. After what he put us through, he most certainly needs quite a bit of punishment."

"Yeah." Master Hammer was still heavily panting. "As much as I want to be proud of him, I seriously want to smack him over the head. Phew, I so damned tired."

"Not even the training at the Academy was that hard." Master David was using his sword as a crutch. "Couldn't he have at least made it a bit less challenging? That felt like the hardest training session in my entire life."

We were all tried. Each and every one of us wanted to give Ram a piece of our mind, and we most certainly will. "Alright everyone, time to obtain our objective!"

"Ma'am, yes, Ma'am!"

Before I could even grab the handle of the giant door, we heard a mighty explosion. We looked toward the direction of the blast to see a ray of darkness. It was powerful enough to pierce through the sky. When it was gone, sunlight was pouring out of the hole, until it was swallowed by the night sky. The sight caused all of our jaws to hang loosely. We all spoke at the same time: "H-Holy crap."

* * *

I stared wide-eyed at the power of the gun. This small weapon created a giant hole in the side of my castle, and even pierced through the sky. I was too astonished by the weapon's power to be bothered by the bright rays of the sun.

"TO-LL-E!" Victor's scream was the only thing that got me out of my trance. I watched as he analyzed the damage caused by the gun. „Ich wusste, dass die Waffe Macht hatte, aber das geht über die sogar meine Erwartungen! Es durchbohrt auch durch Voldemorts Eternal Night Bann! Extraordinary! Nun, ich denke ich nicht weniger von der neuen Dunklen Lord erwarten sollte, aber das ist immer noch ein fantastischer Anblick!"

I looked at Olrox, a blank expression on my face. "Translation."

"Word for word, or gist?"

"Word for word, please".

"Amazing. I knew the gun had power, but this goes beyond even my expectations. It even pierced through the Dark Lord's Eternal Night spell. Extraordinary. Well, I suppose I shouldn't expect any less from the new Dark Lord, but this is still an awesome sight to behold."

"Lord Adelram!"

I was surprised by the sudden call of my name. I even jumped a bit. Victor walked toward me quickly, shining glasses covering his eyes. He then cupped my hands and looked at me with sparkling eyes. "Thank you so much!"

"Huh?"

"Thanks to you, I've gotten so much data! You've also made my invention so happy by using it. Plus, you've also given me an opportunity to study something else! Look!"

The three of us looked toward the hole, only to watch as it regenerated. It didn't call back the stone that was destroyed. It was like the castle was actually growing new stone to replace the ones it lost. It was like watching flesh regrow at an accelerated level. Like watching my skin heal after it was hit by a strong fire spell in my Academy days.

"Ah, herrlich. Thank you so much! As a gift, you can keep that gun! Just be sure to bring it back to me every once in a while so I can upgrade it or clean it, okay?"

"Huh? Uh, sure. Thank you, Victor."

"No problem. Now, I'd like to respectfully ask the both you to leave. I have a lot of projects to do, so I'd like to start immediately. Goodbye Olrox, Lord Adelram."

After saying goodbye to Victor, Olrox and I left his lab. During the walk out, I created a holster for my new gun. It really was an interesting weapon. From what I could tell, it's ammunition seemed to be my own energy. It seems to either greatly magnify or condense my aura into an extremely powerful beam that could possibly destroy anything in it's path. I wonder if it can do anything else with my aura? I should probably practice using the gun as soon as I can.

When we left Victor's lab, I could sense Sharn's aura approaching us quickly. She landed right in front of us. "There you are. What's going on with your castle, Adelram? So many weird things have been happening."

"Of course an oaf like you would be confused." We all looked toward the direction of Medusa's voi- WHAT IS SHE WEARING?!

It looked like a nightgown! No, lingerie! It had see-through fabric that dragged across the ground behind her. Her panties and bra were black with small medallions hanging off of them. There was nothing covering her legs, allowing everyone to see her flawless, long, seductive, olive-colored legs. She was enchanting to look at. Her skin was practically shining. "The marvels of the castle are thanks to the scientist known as Victor Frankenstein. I am surprised that Lord Adelram brought him back, but I certainly am pleased that he did."

"You and me both." We all looked up to see Brauner falling from one of the highest levels. He was shirtless and covered in sweat, smiling like a child at a candy store. "Victor brought my old robot back to life. It's been such a long time since I've fought that thing."

Before the two Generals could say anything else, I felt Sharn grab my head and bury it in... her breasts! "Hey, Snake Bitch! Put some God damn clothes on!"

"Oh, certainly." I heard her soft feet walking toward us. I could even feel her presence behind me, then I felt her soft yet strong hands grip my shoulders. "After you unhand My Lord." Her voice was oozing with bloodlust.

"Heh, like I'm gonna let Adelram suffer by looking at your ugly body anymore."

"I'm sure he's suffering a fate worse than death by being buried in those filthy sacs you call breasts, you boorish orc."

"What was that, you scaly bitch?"

I tried to wiggle out enough to catch a glimpse of Sharn's glaring face. She was bearing her fangs at Medusa. Strangely enough, she started to blush and let out a moan. She looked down at me, an embarrassed look on her face. "Adelram, now isn't the time for this." She then had a look of thought, raising her eyebrow as she looked back at me. "Wait, is this situation really arousing you?"

Now it was my turn to blush. What was she talking about? I wasn't aroused enough to- I WASN'T AROUSED! Why did she think that? I looked down to see... that my gun was brushing against her crotch. "No! No. It's a misunderstanding." I tried to take out my gun, but I unfortunately caused it to brush against and dig into Sharn's crotch, causing her to moan even more. I was finally able to dig it out, and showed it to everyone. I explained that that was what was brushing against Sharn, and what it was.

"Huh, so that's what caused that shake. Guess I should have known Victor had something to do with it." Brauner was looking intently at my gun.

"Indeed. Now then, since we now know that it wasn't Lord Adelram's 'member' that was rubbing against you, you can now let go of him, orc."

"Sure thing." She then tightened her grip on my head. "After you put some clothes on."

Medusa then started to tug onto my shoulders. "After you let him go."

"After you put on clothes."

"After you let him go."

"After you put on clothes."

"After you let him go!"

"You want me to kill you, whore?!"

"You honestly think you can, brute?!"

This wasn't going to end well. Brauner was already preparing a seat for the "show". However, before anything could escalate, the front doors burst open. We all looked toward the doors to see six figures. I recognized all of their auras. It was the Six Paladins. Though, one aura was different. None of them were wearing helmets, so it was easy to locate the different aura. I was horrified to see who was the new Golden Paladin. "A-Angelica."

She looked absolutely shocked. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I was still sandwiched between Sharn and Medusa. Sharn was still holding my head to her breasts, while Medusa was still wearing her lingerie. "R-Ram?"

Everyone was silent, but Sharn was the first to break the silence. "Whoa, whoa. Wait. Angelica? As in 'best friend' Angelica? The only other human who can take you on? The only human you actively respect? The person who we both think can wield that Deum Fidem of yours?"

"WHAT?!" That was Victor. Before I could think, I was ripped out of Sharn's grip and slammed onto the ground. Victor was on top of me, shaking me like a rag doll. "YOU HAVE THE DEUM FIDEM?! YOU HAVE THE LEGENDARY HOLY SWORD, EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE THE DARK LORD?!SHOW ME! SHOW ME! SHOW ME! SHOW ME!"

He was shaking me so fast, that I felt like I was going to vomit. I was able to break out of his grip and grasp his head with a loud smack. "First of all: STOP SHAKING ME! Second: How damn good is your hearing?"

"Oh, it's beyond exceptional. But that's not important right now. Please show me the legendary holy sword." He actually groveled.

I didn't want him to continue bothering me. Placing my hand on the floor, I summoned the Deum Fidem. It rose from the ground in a majestic manner. It was even glowing. „Oh, ausgezeichnet." He tried to touch the hilt of the blade. When he did, it physically burned him. „Ow! Heilige Hölle, das war heiß! Verdammt! Das fühlte sich so verdammt gut! Ist es, weil ich es nicht wert bin ?! Ist es, weil ich ein Mensch bin, der die Gesetze Gottes, indem er unsterblich brach ?! Ist es, weil ich Gott wieder Zeit und Zeit getrotzt haben ?! Wer gibt ein Mist ?! Das war verdammt genial! Yaahoohoohoohoohoooo!" He was rolling around, griping his hand while laughing like a madman; which he technically was.

I looked at Olrox. He sighed before he spoke. "Holy hell, that was hot. Damn. That felt so damn good. Is it because I'm not worthy? Is it because I'm a human that broke the laws of God by becoming immortal? Is it because I've defied God time and time again? Who gives a crap? That was fucking awesome."

"Is he a masochist?"

"No, he's just insane."

Victor kept on rolling and laughing, that is until he spotted the Paladins. He just stopped rolling and laughing, a blank look on his face. He then jumped up, and started to examine each of the Paladins' armor. "Hm, impressive. They are all made of the minerals, ores, and metals their named after. They seemed to be enchanted to make them thousands of times more powerful than their real life counterparts. The armor also seems to enhance the wearers' abilities as well. Approximately from one hundred fold to one thousand fold. The price of the armor is immeasurable. Well crafted. Very well done." After he examined the armor, he then examined all of the Paladins, except for Angelica. "Hm, all of them are beyond exceptional. Still, none of them are even close to Lord Adelram's level, even if he didn't have his current powers."

He then finally laid eyes on Angelica. He stared at her for a while, before taking out a few tools from that strange storage device of his. He placed a tongue depressor in her mouth. "Say 'ah'." She complied for some reason, though she looked just as confused as everyone else. He then put her through the same tests he put me through, though there was one difference. He took her measurements. When he got all of her data, he started writing in a notebook. "Hm. Hm. Yes. Very nice. She's pretty much the same as Lord Adelram. In fact, she needs glasses like he does."

"Huh? Ram. You wear glasses?"

"Hm? Oh, well, I do now." To emphasize that, I took out the glasses Victor gave me, and put them on. Looking at Angelica, I saw that she blushed a bit. Did I really look that good in glasses? I then looked at Sharn and Medusa. Sharn looked like she was trying to hold herself back with a blush on her face, while Medusa was licking her lips, looking at me lustfully.

"Madame?" Angelica then looked at Victor. "Please put these on and read that chart." Angelica then wore the glasses Victor gave her. She was cute before, but now she looked just plain adorable. I'm pretty sure I was blushing at the sight of this beautiful creature before me. She read the chart perfectly, and tried to give the glasses back to Victor. "Keep them. They're yours now. Now then." He then started to write in his notebook again. "Sight with glasses: beyond exceptional. Beauty with and without glasses: both beyond exceptional." Angelica blushed at that. "Alright. My Lord?"

"Yes?"

"It has been confirmed. Just like Lady Sharn..."

"Me?"

"And Lady Medusa..."

"Yes, Victor?"

"Lady Angelica is an ideal candidate to give birth to your royal heir."

Time basically stopped. It felt like every hair on my body was standing up straight. Angelica's snow white face turned apple red, her golden hair standing like a beacon. Most of the Paladins were even blushing, except Master Grant. He looked like he was trying to stop himself from exploding with laughter. Brauner... wasn't as courteous. He was laughing his ass off, until Olrox punched his head into the floor. Olrox was pinching the bridge of his nose. Sharn was wide-eyed. She had a light blush, but she recovered by looking away and scratching the back of her head. Medusa was smirking. She had a look that said, "like I didn't already know."

Victor cleared his throat. "With that, my work here is done. Farewell!" He then ran to his lab. However, he tripped at the top of the stairs, and tumbled all the way down to his lab. He hit the bottom with a loud crash and an explosion. „Scheiße!"

I didn't even care what Victor just screamed. I was still shocked by what he had just said. I was only taken out of the trance by the feel of Sharn's hand on my shoulder. "W-well, we better get going."

". . . Eh?"

"Y-you heard the freak. I'm able to give you a kid. So let's get on with it." She then looked me in the eye and gave a dazzling smile.

"Eh?! B-b-b-... Sh-sh-sh-... A-a-a-a... Se-se-se... Ki-?!"

"I think not, orc." Medusa then grabbed my other shoulder. "I shall be the one to birth the next heir. Lord Adelram deserves a more beautiful child instead of a mere beast."

"Huh? Then why do you think you should be his partner, you fucking snake? You'd just give him a damn python for a kid."

"And you'd give him a little monstrosity."

"What was that?! I'll turn you into stir-fried snake."

"As if an imbecile like you can cook."

"You wanna try me?!"

"With pleasure!"

Before the two could fight, and before anyone could try to prevent that, I was ripped out of their grasps. I felt a force drag me toward the Paladins. It was a psychic spell. The next thing I saw was Angelica, her hair shadowing her eyes, with her emitting an enraged aura. It was kinda scaring me. Then... she looked at me. Her eyes were closed, and she was giving a kind and loving smile. For some reason, that seriously scared me. I've never felt this scared in my entire life, and I fought Death and the most powerful witch in the world! How the hell is Angelica scarier than Cereza?!

If someone was outside of my castle, this is what they would hear. First, they would hear the sound of a fist being planted into someone's face, along with the sound of a breaking nose. Next, they'd hear a multitude of slaps, far too many to count. Finally, they'd hear a loud pounding sound. Also, for some reason, they'd see an image of two walnuts being cracked.

After she was finished, I was a mess. My nose looked like it belonged to one of the male orcs in Sharn's village. My face was red and swollen. It looked like the behind of a baboon. My crotch was also steaming. Fortunately, my powers healed all of my wounds in less than ten seconds. I was back to normal in no less than a shake of my head. Angelica looked surprised, but that would be understandable. Even with healing magic, it should have taken anyone else, even at our level, at least ten minutes to heal from all that punishment.

Angelica quickly recovered from the shock. "Alright, Ram. To say that you have a lot of explaining to do would be an understatement. What was that power? What is this castle? Who are those people behind you? And most importantly..." She blushed before she spoke again, though she wouldn't look me in the eye. "W-why did that strange man s-say t-t-that I'd be i-i-i-i-ideal to g-give birth to your h-heir?"

"That's what I want to know." We all looked toward an aggravated Sharn. "Ideal. Bull crap. I hadn't heard something that stupid since that dumb clan of yours said you'd be their community husband."

Oh crap. I seriously wish she didn't mention that. "Clan? . . . . . C-C-C-C-C-COMMUNITY HUSBAND?!" Angelica then grabbed my shirt and started shaking me harder than even Victor did. "RAM! WHAT IS SHE TALKING ABOUT?! WHAT CLAN?! WHAT HUSBAND?!"

Oi. This is way to much of a pain. I thought the best part to start at was my powers. When I finally got out of her grasp, I activated my powers. I was in my full armor, resting the Diabolo Anathema on my shoulder. Angelica was speechless, but she was blushing. "S-so cool."

"Oh?"

Angelica quickly realized what she had accidentally muttered. She quickly looked away from me, embarrassed. I couldn't help but chuckle at that. I gave full details of my journey. She gave Sharn a dead look when I mentioned the agreement for her victory. Sharn just shrugged her shoulders and giggled a bit. Angelica seemed to enjoy hearing about Frokz, and even giggled when I mentioned how his wife was about to beat him with a rolling pin. I told her about the Fallen Angels, and how they willingly gave me the Diabolo Anathema when I promised I'd protect them. She seemed so... proud. I sensed that Olrox seemed strangely... happy when I mentioned that. When I told her about the fight with the Six Paladins had almost cost me my life, Angelica; along with Sharn and Medusa; gave the Paladins a death glare. They were all shaking with terror. Master David even groveled. Things got really heated when I finally mentioned the Umbra Clan. All of the Paladins, even Master Sypha and Master Shanoa, yelled the same thing at once.

"YOU'RE A MEMBER OF A CLAN OF WITCHES!?"

"B-b-b-b-b-but Ram. T-t-t-t-t-t-that would mean that you're mother was a-a-a-a-a..."

"A witch. Yes. I am the son of an extremely powerful sorceress that makes even Master Sypha's magic look like parlor tricks in comparison. Though, I'm pretty sure she hasn't used her true powers in years. If she had, the two of us would be extremely well known."

"Kid, you are well known."

"Not that kind of known, Master Grant."

"Ah, whatever. . . . Wait, does that make a witch?"

That caused a vein to bulge. "I'm a warlock. Witches are female."

Master David made his presence known. "So, does that mean you are as powerful as a witch?"

"More or less. Though, considering how one-sided my duel with Madame Cereza was, that stands for debate."

"And who is this 'Madame Cereza', dear Ram?"

Oh, she sounded pissed. "She's the Head of the Clan"

Now Master Sypha spoke. "You fought the most powerful sorcerer in the world in a duel of magic?"

"Yup."

"But... how did you win?"

"I didn't." Everyone looked confused when I said that. "I just gained her approval. She countered every single spell I had. I didn't stand a chance against her, especially since she didn't even seriously fight me at all." Now everyone was looking scared, even Angelica. I guess the thought of someone being immensely more powerful than me was a terrifying thought to them. "Still, I was able to impress her. Though I did not land a single hit on her, she still accepted me as a sorcerer, and named me the first Umbra Warlock. When she gave me the grimoire of the Dark Lord, I thought I had reached the end. I saw no way to continue. However, Cereza gave me a solution. She told me to resurrect the Dark Generals. So I did. I started with Brauner, then Olrox, and finally Medusa."

There was a silence. The Paladins looked at me, then at the three people next to Sharn. "R-Ram? C-could those people be...?"

"Yup. Paladins, meet Brauner Erebus..."

"Yo."

"Olrox Erebus..."

"Greetings."

"and Medusa Gorgon."

"Hello."

They were frozen. No surprise though. It's not every day you're introduced to three of some of the most powerful military leaders in existence. Surprisingly, Master Shanoa was the first to speak. "Those two are the legendary vampire brothers?!"

Olrox raised an eyebrow. "Legendary?"

"Aw, I thought we were infamous. I liked being called infamous." Brauner was actually slumping.

"I-I don't understand. These are the vampires that served under the Dark Lord? B-but they're both so handsome!"

I actually saw Olrox and Brauner's ears twitch. They even looked a bit aggravated. It was quite a spectacle to see the brothers speak in unison. "Well, excuse us for not having a bald head and long claws, with a big ass neckband."

"Specific."

"Don't ask, Adelram. Don't ask."

With that out of the way, I told them about how Brauner convinced me to tame a legendary bird named Avion. He has been a great comrade, and a great way to travel. I mentioned how Sharn was especially happy with having Avion, since I wouldn't have to carry her and run at break-neck speeds anymore. Sharn actually blushed and looked away, though I also noticed that Angelica and Medusa started to stare at her. I ended the story by telling her how Olrox, Brauner, Medusa, and I raised the castle; and brought Victor back to bring it back to it's former glory.

Angelica's arms were crossed. She had a look of contemplation. "So, what now?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"The castle, the powers, the generals; now that you have all of this, what will you do next?"

"Well, I was hoping to find the book that Olrox mentioned, so I can finally learn about the Dark Lord. . . . I actually forgot about that! Olrox, where's the library you mentioned?"

"Remember the door you wanted to open?"

"Yes?"

He pointed toward it. It was gone. It must have opened when Victor reactivated the castle. From where we were standing, I could see countless books. We all walked toward the room. When we entered, we were greeted to the sight of thousands of books. Walls filled to the brim with books. Stories above stories, each holding countless bookshelves filled with who knows what. So much knowledge, all gathered in one room. What a find.

Then, at the center of the room, was an extremely large book. I opened it, and began to read. It started off by talking about a man named Mathias Cronqvist. He had apparently lost his wife to illness, and blamed God. As and act of revenge, he used the Crimson Stone to steal... the soul of a vampire... and became one himself.

I continued to read the book, learning more and more about the man named Mathias, who later renamed himself Vlad. He had fallen in love with a woman, who was once again taken from him. This time, by the hands of man. This greatly enraged Vlad, causing him to wage war against humanity itself. To symbolize the start of his great war, Vlad renamed himself once again, taking the name of... of... of...

I slammed my hands against the book, shock overtaking me. "Dracula?! The previous Dark Lord... was Dracula?! _The_ Count Dracula?! The King of the Vampires?! The most powerful vampire to have ever lived?! That's who I've been researching?! That's whose power I've inherited?!"

"Yes." I looked behind me to see Olrox, arms crossed. "The previous Dark Lord, your predecessor, was a vampire. The strongest among all of us. In every category imaginable, from physical power to magical abilities, he far surpasses even me."

I was shocked, so were Sharn and the other Paladins. The only ones who were not astonished by the news were the other Generals. I needed to know something. "If that's true, then why wasn't it known one hundred years ago? Why were you called the strongest vampire?"

"Because he wasn't known." That stopped me in my tracks. I should have known. This was the reason I started this journey in the first place. Literally nothing was known about the Dark Lord, but I had just uncovered the biggest piece of information pertaining to him. He was the legendary Dracula. No. Dracula was a being that transcended even the status of legend. There have even been some cults that would worship the vampire as if he were a god. There was next to no one who didn't know of Count Dracula. That was how influential he was to the world. To history.

I looked at my hand, and activated my Black Flame. As I stared at the beautiful, black fire; I could only think of one thing: I now had the power of a man who was considered a god. I... couldn't help but laugh. I had the potential to rival even Cereza. My journey paid off. I had found everything I had wanted, and more. This chapter in my life... is over. My journey... is now complete.

"So what now, kid?" I looked at Master Grant. "You've found what you were looking for. Are you gonna come back home, or what?" Angelica was shaking her head in agreement. She looked like she was ready for me to say "let's go home."

"About that, Master Grant... I technically am home." The Paladins looked confused. "Well, this is my castle after all. Of course I'm going to live in it. Besides, I have a crap ton of work to do."

Master Hammer finally spoke. "What do you mean? You're not planning on reading all of these books, are you?"

"Oh, that's just the half of it. I need to master these powers. I also need to figure out how to get rid of that stupid Eternal Night spell. Do you know how hard it is to tell the time or have a good sleep schedule without the sun as a guide?"

"But Master Adelram," So Master David is still calling me that? "Won't that destroy Master Olrox and Master Brauner?"

"Wait, when did we become 'Masters'?" whispered Brauner into Olrox's ear.

"He's just being polite. Don't worry about us, child. We're Day Walkers."

"Day Walkers?"

"The sun's rays do not affect us. We can walk in the sun as easily as a human can."

Some of them looked a bit afraid. Knowing that a vampire could walk among them must have been a scary thought. Angelica wasn't all that concerned though. "Ram, are you really going to live in the Southern Plains?"

"Yes. And on that note, Olrox?"

"Hm?"

"Could you show me to my room?"

"Of course. Let's go." He then got into a running stance. Best way to go, I suppose. Before we ran, Angelica cried out for me to wait, but I was already prepared to run. When we did, I noticed that I felt a bit heavier. I looked behind me to see that Angelica had grabbed onto my back. As Olrox and I were running, I grabbed Angelica and held her bridal-style. Like Sharn, she was screaming while gripping my neck like her life depended on it. It took us three seconds to reach my new room, but it must have felt like three hours to Angelica. She was shivering in my arms, eyes squeezed shut with tears developing. I looked around, and was amazed by what I saw "Angelica, you might want to take a look." She slowly opened her eyes, and quickly realized how I was holding her. She gently tapped my cheek, signaling that she wanted to be put down. To bad, her embarrassed, blushing face was seriously cute. Still, we were greeted with an exotic sight.

There were windows large enough to allow waves of moonlight inside to illuminate the room. There was a king sized bed in the middle of the room that could easily accommodate me, Angelica, Sharn, and Medusa. . . . . Scratch that thought. There were curtains on either side of the bed. In the room were various, luxurious furniture. There was a couch at the left side of the room, covered with many comfortable and fluffy looking pillows. On the right side of the room was a table with chairs around it. Both good areas for when I read. Also on the left side of the room was a mirror, while the left side held a wardrobe. Not sure if I'd ever use either of them. Still, this room was amazing. It was fit for a king... or a Dark Lord.

"Does the room fit to your taste, Your Majesty?"

"Yes, it most certainly does. I'm almost tempted to just sleep on the bed right here and now."

"Well, you and Lady Angelica can do just that after I take my leave."

Angelica was blushing like mad at that comment. I was no better. "Wait! Wait-wait-wait-wait. We're not doing that yet."

"Y-! Ram, you said 'yet'." Angelica was now looking down, her blush now causing her face to glow a bright red.

I myself was blushing, though I quickly shook my head to clear my thoughts. "Olrox, there's still one more room I'd like for you to show me."

"Oh? And what room would that be, My Lord?"

"The Throne Room."

Olrox just stared at me, before he gave a satisfied smile. "Very well. Let's go." Angelica stiffened a bit. "Worry not, My Lady."

That caused her to blush and look down again. She then started to mumble. "My Lady. He makes it sound like I'm already Ram's wife."

Olrox just ignored what she said and continued to speak. "We can simply walk to the Throne Room. Come, follow me." We walked down the well lit corridor. Thank you, Victor. In just a few minutes, we were standing before two large doors. Olrox effortlessly pushed them open. The Throne room was massive, pillars and candles galore, with a blood red carpet leading to the back of the room. At the end of the carpet was a majestic throne. It was quite large. It had red cushions, with a golden exterior. The golden exterior, such as the arm rests, had a design that resembled bat wings. I noticed that on the back cushion of the throne, there was the design of an encircling dragon. Such a dark and beautiful throne. Without even realizing it, I had sat down on the throne. It was so comfortable. Then, pools of my power rippled from the throne. Then castle then shook, and started to glow. Then, a mighty force flew into me. I could feel the castle, like it was a part of me. I could sense everything happening. I could sense the Paladins and Sharn being lead toward the Throne Room by Brauner and Medusa. I could sense Victor working in his lab. I could practically see the entire design of the castle. Every room, every item, every stone, everything. It was like I was one with the castle.

"Congratulations." I looked at Olrox, who was smiling. "The castle has accepted you as it's new master. You are now, officially, the new Dark Lord." He said that the exact moment everyone had entered the room. It was almost like a coronation. Now, I am the Dark Lord.

"Ram." I looked at Angelica, her eyes filled with worry. "Are you really going to accept this title? Are you really going to stay here?"

I didn't even hesitate to answer her. "Yes."

She looked down, a hint of disappointment in her eyes. Then a new resolve was shining in her eyes. "Well, then I will-" She never got to finish talking.

Before she could talk, there was a heavy pressure. It felt so dark and terrible. I've never felt something so... evil. Not even Death felt this malicious. It was heavy enough to affect everyone in the room.

"Impossible." Olrox looked shocked.

Brauner looked confused. "I don't get it. He's supposed to be dead, and Adelram sure as hell wouldn't bring him back!"

Medusa looked disturbed. "True, but Adelram isn't the only one who can bring people back from the dead. Besides, this is him we are talking about. I'm sure Carmilla has something to do with his return."

I didn't have the patience to ask what they were talking about. I'm sure I'd find out as soon as I looked out the balcony. When I did, I was greeted by a hellish sight.

It was an army... of the undead. Legions of groaning corpses were stumbling toward my castle. Some were human, while others were various monsters. And undead army composed of humans, imps, goblins, orcs, trolls, ogres, Minotaurs, Hydras, and many other monsters. There were even werewolf corpses among them. Then, I saw four giants. They looked exactly like Avion. I watched them carry a building... only to realize that it wasn't a building at all. It was one of them. It slowly moved it's arms, as if testing them out after years of disuse. As it moved, thunder clouds appeared. It then pointed one of it's hands at me, and fired a strange projectile at me. I slapped it away effortlessly. It was made of lightning. I watched as the army of zombies shuffled toward my castle in all directions, groaning. Even among all this decay, I could still sense two very familiar auras. Death and Carmilla were somewhere in this pack of corpses.

When I tried to search for them, a new aura suddenly appeared. It was the most powerful I've ever felt since Cereza. The sea of death parted as a single man oozing with dark power rode forward on an undead steed. He was a tall, handsome, and aged man. His hair was long and wavy, and as silver as Olrox's hair. He also had a goatee that gave him a sophisticated look. His eyes were as red as blood. He wore clothes that made him look like a nobleman, or a lord. They were black on the outside, but red on the inside. Among his wardrobe was an ascot with a crimson stone in the middle. He looked like a true lord. Yet, his aura was of absolute evil. It also felt so familiar. It felt just like... mine. . . . No. It can't be. How could he be back?

"Lord Adelram." I looked to my right to see a concerned Olrox. "I'd like to introduce you... to your predecessor." Damn. It really was him. "Dark Lord Adelram, meet the previous Dark Lord, Count Dracula."

 **A/N: Phew. This was arguably the longest chapter yet. Still, it lead up to this. The final fight. The Past meeting the Present. The Past Dark Lord vs. the Present Dark Lord. It's going to be one hell of a war. It's also the second to last chapter. We're coming closer to the end, my friends. Now to see what would happen when a Dark Lord vampire fights a Dark Lord warlock. Until next time! . . . Wait a minute, isn't this a cliffhanger? DAMMIT! I HATE CLIFFHANGERS!**


	20. Chapter 18

The once clean air was now tainted by the scent of decay. The music of the wind was muffled by the groans of the dead. Even the once shining ground was black with corpses, with glowing red eyes as the only source of light. The legion was as far as the eye could see, and my eyes can see quite far. I was feeling disgusted. Not by the sight of zombies, but who the zombies were. Some of them... were warriors. Knights. Soldiers. Men and women who had already fallen in battle.

"Disgraceful." I looked over at Olrox, his eyes burning with rage. "How far will you go, Death? The bastard even resurrected some of my soldiers."

"Your soldiers?"

"Yes. Many of the undead were soldiers who fought with me... and even against me in the Great War one hundred years ago."

"That's just gross." I looked at Brauner. He looked disgusted. "I already killed many of those warriors. They shouldn't be walking around, at least not as soulless dolls. That's not right."

"Indeed." Medusa had her arms crossed, a cold look in her eyes. "To bring them back in such a way... There is no honor in that. This isn't how a general should act. This isn't how a soldier, or mage, or a so-called 'god' should fight. This isn't the work of a warrior. This is the work of a weak and evil coward."

"How could he?" Sharn was shocked by what she saw. She was gripping the railings so tightly, she broke it in her grasp. I looked in the same direction she was, and saw... orcs. There were so many of them, torn to shreds. Some of them were missing limbs, while others had theirs hanging from their bodies. "How dare he?" She was crying. "HOW DARE HE DISRESPECT THE ORCS?! DYING IN BATTLE... DYING OF ADVANCED YEARS... DYING WITH PRIDE... THOSE ARE THE GREATEST HONORS AN ORC COULD ASK FOR! AND YET THAT BASTARD SPITS UPON US BY BRINGING US BACK AS LIFELESS PILES OF MEAT!" Her tears were flowing freely. She was heartbroken, seeing her people being used in such an unholy manner.

I could sense them all. Legions among legions, all around us. Everyone in the castle might as well be challenging the entire army from both sides of the Great War. As powerful as we all are, even we can't handle a force that large, as well as Dracula and his allies.

"Olrox."

"Hm?"

"Is there a way to be rid of the undead. To give them the rest they deserve?"

He just looked at me, contemplating. He then looked toward the army before he spoke. "There are two ways. The first is to completely destroy their bodies. Burn them. Disintegrate them. Freeze their bodies, then smash them to pieces. As long as there's no trace of their body, they can't continue the fight."

"And what's the second way?"

"Simple: You kill the castor."

"In other words-"

"Kill Death."

I greatly preferred the latter option. That monster needed to suffer. "Olrox, I will leave Death to you."

"With pleasure, My Lord."

"Medusa."

"Yes, My Lord?"

"You despise Carmilla, correct?"

"More than I hate the orc, Your Majesty."

"Then she's your prey. Also, Olrox told me that you are an export with the bow." When I said that, I brought out my bow from my storage dimension, as well as the quiver that holds unlimited bows. Now that I have my gun, I'll have no reason to use this bow anymore. I knew that Medusa would make far better use of it than I ever would.

She was examining the bow with a judgmental eye. When she was done inspecting it, she seemed pleased. "This is a fine bow. Extremely powerful and durable. The body seems to be made from some of the finest and most powerful ores the Southern Plains has to offer. Even the string is of high quality. It seems nearly indestructible. It also even has quite the lovely scent. Where did you find such exquisite material for the string, My Lord?"

"From me. The bow string is my hair."

"Oh? Well, that is interesting." She stared lovingly at the bow. She then turned to me, and gave courteous bow with a smile. "Thank you, My Lord. I will treasure this gift. I shall use it to lodge an arrow in that pathetic woman's eye."

I nodded in approval. If anyone would be powerful enough to absolutely humiliate and kill Carmilla, it's Medusa. "Brauner." He didn't move from his position, though he did turn his gaze toward me. "It will take even Olrox quite a bit of time to destroy Death. As such, I need you to destroy as many of those... victims as you can. . . . I need you to release them from their torment."

Brauner turned his gaze back at the horde. He then summoned his dual-sided sword, glaring at the groaning abominations. "Sir, yes, sir."

"Sharn." Her eyes were shadowed. Tears were still flowing down her cheek. "Your mission is the same as Brauner's. However, your first target... will be the orcs." She stiffened a bit. "I respect the orcs. Your people were the first I've ever fought, as well as the first to ever give me a challenge. They are true warriors. Men and women with a true warriors' spirit. They don't deserve to be made into puppets. To be deprived of the warriors' rest they were promised. Give back what was taken from them."

Her eyes were still shadowed, tears still flowing. Then, she looked up at me, smiling with shining eyes. "Adelram, thank you."

I nodded at her, a smile on my own face. Then, I glared at Dracula, staring him straight into his eyes. "I'll handle the fallen Dark Lord." I was about to issue the order to attack, the sign to start this war. Then, he spoke.

"Adelram Umbra." He didn't shout, but his voice still boomed. It was powerful enough to shake the castle, and caused all of the moaning corpses to cease their groans. "You have my deepest gratitude." We were all now glaring at the man. What did he mean? Did he think I brought the castle back for him? "It is thanks to your blood that I now walk this earth."

"My blood?"

"Adelram." I looked at Olrox who was still glaring at Dracula. "Have you bled at least once in your journey?"

"Yes. It was during my fight with Cornell. He was able to slash me, and caused a massive amount of blood to gush from my chest. More than likely, he got most of his claws covered in it."

"Huh, well, that still doesn't make much sense." Brauner was still glaring at Dracula, rubbing his chin in thought. "Among all of us, Cornell was the only one who truly hated the old guy. No way in hell he'd use your blood to bring him back."

"But someone else most certainly would."

I knew who Medusa meant immediately. "Carmilla. Still, how is he alive? Does she know a resurrections spell?"

"Dracula is a special case." I listened intently to Olrox's explanation. "All he needs to be resurrected with is blood. Powerful blood. More than likely, even before you got any of your powers, you'd be the perfect sacrifice to bring him back. However, Carmilla was able to retrieve your blood when it had the power of darkness mixed in with it. Blood like that is more than capable of resurrecting Dracula."

"It is as they say, boy." Wow, he has good hearing. "Your blood: the blood of a warrior, the blood of an Umbra, and blood infused with my power; it was the perfect elixir to bring me back to life. As such, I thank you. That is why I shall give you this choice: join me." Now I was really starting to get mad. "I can take back all of my power from you without taking your life. You are an Umbra. Your worth is limitless to me. You can still serve under me, maybe even one day become my right hand. Your name shall be sung within the stories of the darkness. You will never be forgotten. Join me, Adelram. Become one of my greatest soldiers."

Everyone was now staring at me. My eyes were being shadowed by my hair. Then, I gave Dracula a steely glare. "I started this journey to learn more about you. To discover you. To find out who you were. Now, I have become you. I have become your successor. Your time as the Dark Lord ended one hundred years ago. Mine has just begun. I will serve under no one, especially not under a defeated relic. Dracula, I refuse your offer!"

Dracula continued to stare at me, his eyes beginning to glow with rage. "In other words, your answer is..." He then started to release his aura, causing the earth to shake. "'Please kill me right here and now!' Correct?!"

"No! It's 'I'm going to destroy you once and for all!'" When I yelled that, I drew my gun, and shot a powerful orb of energy right at Dracula. With one hand, he was able to deflect the attack, but it greatly devastated his army when it landed. The explosion destroyed legions of zombies. The force was powerful enough to cause many of them to scatter. I could sense that one of them was flying towards us. When it was within arm's reach, I grabbed the creature by the head, crushed its skull into paste, and ignited the corpse. I dropped the inanimate body, allowing the flames to burn it into dust before it even hit the ground. This caused the army to roar into action. The waves of zombies charged toward my castle, but Victor's defenses made it nearly impossible for them to so much as climb the hill.

I continued to analyze the battlefield and the conditions we were given. "So, it's me, Olrox, Brauner, Medusa, Avion, and Victor's defenses against Dracula, Death, Carmilla, five beasts that greatly resemble Avion, and a nearly endless number of zombies." As I thought about it, I couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, I suppose I could use a little bit better odds than that."

As I said that, I felt a sharp pain on back of my head. Rubbing the injury, I looked behind me to see an aggravated Angelica. "Are you an idiot?" I was confused by what she meant. She sighed before she spoke again. "You have me. You have the Six Paladins on your side." Now I was surprised. I looked behind her to see the Paladins already prepared for battle.

"Well, what do ya expect, kid?" Master Grant was making sure all of his knives were accounted for.

"Adelram, we are Paladins. It is our duty to protect the Three Plains from the forces of evil." Master Sypha took out a staff. I heard that she only used that for the most dire of circumstances.

"If we let Dracula kill you, then he'll set his sights on the rest of the world." Master Shanoa was praying, blessing her bows for the battle ahead.

"We're heroes. We can't in good conscience let you fight all of that by yourselves." Master Hammer had brought out one of his experimental war hammers. He only uses those when he's really being serious.

"It is our duty as soldiers of the light to protect the peace of the world. Dracula would end that peace once and for all. Besides, I personally find it an honor to fight by your side... Your Majesty!" Master David saluted when he said that last part. He was holding a long sword, prepared to fight in the hell that was waiting outside the castle walls.

Master David wasn't the only one who saluted. When they were all prepared, all of the Paladins, including Angelica, saluted. "This is your kingdom, Ram. Knowing you, you'd most definitely want this land to know peace. As noble knights, we will fight by your side, and defeat the enemy of the Southern Plains' happiness." I was speechless. I didn't know how to react at first. Then, almost on instinct, I saluted back at them, and thanked them for their help.

"Hm, well that will help, but we are still at a disadvantage." I looked at Olrox, who was still analyzing the battlefield. "There are legions of those creatures. They're even starting to wear out Victor's defenses. If only we had something to even out the odds. Victor's creations would be perfect, but he said that they needed 'souls' to properly function." He then started to think. Then, he looked like he had thought of something. "We do have 'souls'. Enough to power all of them." He then turned his gaze to me. I immediately knew what he meant.

"No."

"Lord Adelram, we need their he-"

"I promised I'd protect them, not drag them into my war!"

"Adelram, if we lose here, Dracula will regain his rule over them. They will suffer at his hands. We need as much help as we can get, and they wouldn't even suffer. It's not even their bodies. Not even Dracula can kill something that has never even been alive."

I knew that Olrox was making valid points. Still, I didn't like the thought of using them as tools of war. I sighed before speaking. "You have heard everything we have said. What say you, child?"

I looked toward a corner of the throne room to see her. The child that I first met in that dark void. The first Fallen Angel I have ever met. "We will help you, My Lord." Then many of them appeared once again. Shadowed men and women who had their eyes covered by their long, black hair. However, I saw something different. They all had wings. Powerful looking wings that were as black as the night sky. Their black feathers were shining in the light. They all spoke in unison. "You are our Lord. We shall trust in you, and aid you in your fight with the evil one. Through your reign, we shall finally know peace." And with that, they were gone. Many moments passed. . . . Then we heard it.

„Sie leben! Sie sind alle lebendig! Noch einmal! Noch einmal! Ich werde mich erneut wie Gott fühlen! HAHAHAHAHA!"

"Olrox?"

"They live. They are all alive. Once again. Once again. I will feel like God once again."

While Victor was laughing like the mad man he was, many explosions occurred. Out of the dust, his monsters rushed into the army of death. We watched as they tore the rotting corpses to pieces. I even got to see one of his largest creations punch the bearded colossus in the face, causing the hulking creature to fall on top of many of the zombies.

The tallest one tried to retaliate, but was pushed to the ground when Avion kicked it in the back of it's head. The long creature fell on top of many corpses as well, smashing it's pillar of a sword on many others as well. Avion perched himself on the top of the castle, and shrieked at the other colossi. The three giants roared back at him.

Now we were ready. We had our own army in the form of Victor's near indestructible "children". Avion proved that he's more than capable of fighting. I had the Six Paladins as my allies, as well as three of the Six Generals. I looked into each of their eyes. They were all shining with the will to fight. I looked at the battlefield, watching Victor's monsters tear apart Dracula's undead army. "Everyone!" They all stared at me, watching me draw the Diabolo Anathema. "Let's raise some hell!" They all cheered with a passionate, "Hell, yeah!" With that, we jumped off of the balcony, and charged into the fray of battle. Our war has now begun.

* * *

"Yahoo!" Brauner was slicing and dicing any and all opponents that stood in his way. He may have disapproved of killing warriors that had already fallen in battle once, but that wouldn't stop him from enjoying this fight. Eventually, he was fighting the undead werewolves. When he was about to slice the next victim, he immediately stopped. "Hey, you're Cornell's brother. Whoa, you look like shit. I didn't even know you died. Must have been after my own death. Oh well, I guess I might as well put you down, boy." As he was about to kill the undead werewolf, he was pushed back when something parred his attack. He was surprised to see who it was. "Cornell?" There he was, one of his old allies... and he was still alive. "Well, I'll be damned. Never thought you'd be working for Dracula again."

Cornell glared at Brauner. "Believe me, old friend, it isn't by choice." He then charged at Brauner, trying to claw his heart out. Brauner was able to parry the attack, and the two were engaged in a flurry of clashes between blades and claws.

During the attack, they started to run, still deflecting the others attack. Their dual was slicing everything around them. "If you're not doing this out of loyalty, then why the hell are you fighting."

"To protect my family." This caught Brauner's interest. The two separate from one another, not a single zombie anywhere near them. "He threatened them, Brauner. He told me that he would slaughter them all. My wife, my children, my brothers, my sisters, the youths, the elders, MY ENTIRE DAMN CLAN! He told me that if I didn't help him kill Adelram, he'd slaughter them all, RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!"

"He's going to do that anyway! He's a sadistic bastard! He'd kill one of your clansmen just to watch them bleed. He wouldn't even feed on them!"

"DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT?!" Brauner was completely confused, even more so when he saw the tears in Cornell's eyes. "I know. I know that all I'm doing is delaying the inevitable... BUT I DON'T CARE! If I can give them just one more second of peace in this world, then I'd gladly sacrifice my life!"

Brauner just stared at his one-time comrade, sadness and pity entering his heart. "You idiot. Adelram is stronger than Dracula. He can kill him! Just trust us, and come over to our side! Adelram would never threaten your clan! If anything, he'd protect it!"

Cornell's eyes were shadowed. Brauner thought he might have been able to convince his friend. "I'm sorry, Brauner." Cornell then looked up, his yellow eyes glowing brightly. "But I can't take that risk." Cornell then started to concentrate. His claws were now shining with silver flames.

Brauner was staring at the fire. Cornell was getting serious. He couldn't help but let out a sorrowful sigh. "You stupid, stubborn mutt." Brauner then ignited his swords. The two glared at each other, before charging. When the two clashed, it caused a devastating explosion that engulfed many of the zombies around them. Even the giant zombies, such as the ogres and the Minotaurs, were caught in the blast.

* * *

Sharn looked to her right to witness the explosion. She could sense Brauner's aura. She still continued her causal pace, slaying any zombie foolish enough to cross her, until she reached her target. The orc zombies were groaning. They looked hideous. Many of them were missing limbs and flesh. She could easily see their muscles, organs, and bones. It was a pitiful state, one which an orc should never be forced into. She then proceeded to slaughter them, with her daggers engulfed in black flame. Even as undead puppets, they were quite formidable. They were strong, fast, and well coordinated. Still, they were no match for Sharn. She killed countless numbers of them. As she was about to kill the next one, she was greeted by a sight that stunned her. "M-my squad." Even in death, they still used their preferred weapons. She didn't notice that the one who used two axes wasn't among them, but that didn't matter. Though they did annoy her, these men were like brothers to her. To see them reduced to soulless slaves nearly destroyed her spirit. She wasn't even able to sense the orc zombie that was about to cut her in half behind her.

"What the hell are you doing, orc!?"

She looked behind her in time to see the zombie orc about to kill her get shot by an arrow at the side of it's head, the tip poking out of the other side of it's skull. She was then able to see her squad get hit by the same type of arrows in the head, and watched as they were engulfed in a white flame. Though it broke her heart to see her brothers burn to dust, she was happy that they would be able to rest. She looked toward the direction of the shots to see that small human with the bow. Adelram said her name was Shanoa. "I never knew orcs would so carelessly let their guards down during a war."

Sharn couldn't even retort. She had let her guard down. That was inexcusable. She couldn't even look Shanoa in the eye. "Apologies, Human."

Shanoa walked up to the piles of dust she had created. "You knew these warriors, didn't you?"

Sharn also looked at the piles. "Yes. They were like my brothers."

"Then I can forgive you." Sharn looked at the human woman. "No one should be forced to fight their family, especially if they are in a state such as this." The two continued to stare at the piles, until they heard the moans of the other undead orcs. "Still, you should never let your guard down. Redeem yourself by slaying the rest of these creatures, orc." She readied her bow and started to fire away. "Oh, and my name is Shanoa, not 'Human'. You will do well to remember that, orc."

"My name is Sharn. Also, I don't need you to tell me what I was already planning to do... Shanoa." The two smirked at each other before they started to slay undead orcs, side by side.

* * *

"Damn! Those things are huge! Are we really going to fight them?! And where the hell is Shanny?!"

Grant, Hammer, David, and Sypha had decided to defeat the colossi. All Avion could do was distract them, and Victor's giant monsters had no way of finishing them off. The Paladins knew they needed to slay them.

"Master Shanoa decided to help that Sharn girl. Doesn't matter, we can take those things." Hammer was smashing zombies and running them over with his motor cycle.

"I'm glad you're so confident, Hammer. If you haven't noticed, those things out number us by one."

"But Master Grant, what about the stone eagle and those giant mon-"

"They don't count, kid. Besides, those things are doing a number on them." He looked up int time to see the sword-wielding colossi cleave one of Victor's giants in half. He watched in fascination as the Fallen Angels controlling the monster flowed out of it, and probably back to their home void.

"Master Grant is correct, Master David. We need to slay these beasts, or at least distract them so they do not bother Adelram and his comrades." Sypha was preparing a spell that would hopefully weaken the giants. When she cast the spell, strange sigils appeared on various parts of the monsters, as well as glowing black spots. "I've found their weaknesses! Aim for them!"

"Got it!" Grant then ran behind the mace-wielding giant, and struck one of the glowing spots that was on the back of the creatures calf, causing it to fall to it's knee. Seeing an opportunity, Grant ran up the creatures body to look for it's sigils. He found one on the right side of it's back, and another on top of it's head. Jumping in the air, Grant threw countless knives at the sigils. When his attacks landed, the giant released an ear-piercing screech before falling to the ground, crushing any zombies around it.

Hammer was fighting the tall giant. As it swung it's weapon toward him, he smashed his hammer into the oncoming attack. The clash caused much of the creature's armor to break. When it tried to attack him again, Hammer dodged in time to cause the creature's weapon to lodge into the ground. Seizing the opportunity, Hammer ran up the weapon, and jumped high into the air. He saw two sigils, one on the head and the other on it's belly. He smashed his hammer into both areas, causing the creature to scream in pain. The strike to the belly caused it to fall to it's knees, gripping it's wounded stomach with it's free hand.

Sypha was dueling the largest of the beasts. As she flew around it, it continued to fire orbs of lightning at her. She thought that she should return the favor. When she was fully charged, she flew high into the air to find a sigil. She found it on the top of the creature's head. Concentrating, she created a thunder cloud above the creature's head. When it was complete, she released a mighty lightning bolt on top of the sigil. The creature howled in pain as it gripped it's head.

David was dueling the sword-wielding giant. David's flight spell wasn't as advanced as Sypha's or Angelica's, but it still got the job done. The two clashed multiple times, each blow causing a small shock-wave. Finally, the two were at a standoff. David stared into the beast's eyes, his sword sparking against the beast's. Unfortunately, he didn't realize that the bearded beast was walking toward him. When he finally sensed it, it was too late. He looked behind him to see the creature throwing a mighty fist at him. There was no way he could dodge it. The other Paladins noticed this as well, but they knew that none of them could make it in time. Time seemed to freeze for David. All he could hear was the sound of his comrades scream. "DAVID!" All he could do was shut his eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

When David shut his eyes, a whip of light grabbed onto the beast's arm, redirecting it into the face of the sword-wielder. Everyone was surprised by what they saw. Only one man could do that. They turned their gaze to see... their previous leader.

He was wearing a simple brown shirt and khaki pants. His whip was still shining in his hand as he used it to slay the horde around him. "Would someone like to explain to me what the hell is going on?"

Grant ran to Trevor, relief on his face. "Glad to see some back-up."

"Yes, yes, just tell me the situation. Did Adelram create these?"

"Hell no. We're actually helping him kill these things."

"You're what?!"

"Trevor, listen to me. Adelram is the good guy. He's trying his damnedest to kill the previous Dark Lord to-"

"PREVIOUS DARK LORD?! HE'S BACK?!"

"Yeah, and Adelram is trying to stop him. He needs us to take these things down so he can kill Dracula."

"Dracula? That old legend? . . . Are you telling me that the previous Dark Lord was Count Dracula?"

"Yeah. Believe me, we were all surprised when we found out. Dracula was the one who created this army, just so he could kill the kid. He needs our help, Trevor. If he dies, Dracula will win, and the Great War will start all over again. We need as much help as we can get, and you'd give us one hell of an advantage. If you haven't noticed, there are five of those giant things and only four of us. Plus, they have a damned army on their side! Forget about killing Adelram, and help us kill whatever the hell those things are!"

Trevor was silent for a while. Then he heard the giants start to rise. Their eyes told him they were furious. "I'll deal with Adelram later. Right now, we have a new objective: the destruction of these creatures." He then summoned his whip, and swung it around. It burned many of the zombies to cinders, and caused a nasty burn mark on the bearded giant. Grant smiled at the act. "Great to have you back, old pal."

"Great to be back."

* * *

Medusa was walking casually through the carnage, using only half of her powers. She was wearing green heeled boots, a tight leather shirt that made sure her breasts wouldn't bounce, and baggy jeans for easy movement. Her hair was in it's snake form, and her eyes were turning everything around her to stone. For the more far off targets, she enchanted her arrows with her magic. Getting so much as a scratch from the arrow turned her enemies to stone. If some were somehow lucky or unlucky enough to reach her, she would just punch or kick them. The attack would also turn them to stone, but would also cause them to either crumble into rubble or completely shatter into dust.

She was enjoying herself, until she sensed an extremely irritating aura. She also sensed an attack. All she did was move her head slightly to the left, and caught the flying blade with her index and middle finger. She knew the blade was indestructible, even for her, so she just lodged it into the ground. "Long time, no see... Carmilla." She turned her head to look at the one woman she hated more than Sharn.

"Medusa. It's nice to see that your just as tasteless as ever."

"Tasteless? This coming from a woman who covers her right eye for fashion and wears clothes fit for a hooker."

"Tsk. You always were an annoyance. Always believing you inferior beauty was a match for my own."

"Please, my beauty is natural. Yours comes from bathing in the blood of young virgin girls. Your beauty is as artificial as your strength."

"You believe yourself to be stronger than me? You are a mere snake whose gaze turns the weak into stone. I am an all powerful vampire."

"A vampire who couldn't even defeat Adelram when he just received his powers."

This infuriated Carmilla. "Those were not his powers. They belong only to the true Dark Lord!"

"And that's exactly what Adelram is. He is the Dark Lord now! He will surpass your precious Count Dracula, and the war will be our victor!"

Carmilla's visible eye was now burning with absolute rage. "I'll bleed you dry for that, you worthless serpent!" She retracted her blade, and imbued it with her power. When it was glowing a dark purple aura, she charged at Medusa.

Medusa was smirking at the vampiress. She readied an arrow, and imbued the weapon with her power. It turned green and started to glow from the power. "Have at you!" When Carmilla threw her attack at Medusa, she released the arrow. A large explosion was created. It either burned the zombies to ashes, or turned them into statues.

* * *

Olrox was slaughtering countless undead with no effort at all. He was looking for Death, but that didn't take to long.

"So, we finally meet on the battlefield."

Olrox looked behind him to see his one time ally. "So it seems."

Neither spoke, and all of the undead just seemed to keep their distance. "It always infuriated me." Olrox was interested in what Death was about to say. "The humans. The elves. The dwarfs. Even our own soldiers. They all believed the same thing. They all believed that you were more powerful than me." Olrox couldn't help but smirk at that. "I am the god that decides who lives and who dies. How dare they believe that a being like you is my superior?! You, who did not even chose the path of the vampire. Who was forced down the path of the dark immortal. Nothing like Lord Dracula, who took the power of darkness for himself. He is a true vampire." Now Olrox was getting confused. Forced? It's true that he didn't remember that much about his past. He never found it that important. He was a vampire now. His past as a human was of no importance to him. "You should have stayed with them. You should have stayed with the demons."

Olrox's eyes shot open with surprise. "What are you talking about? What do you mean by the 'demons'?"

Now Death was the one who was smirking. He let out a devious chuckle. "So you really don't remember? You don't remember your human past in the least? How sad. It is quite interesting. You are one of the only human I have ever known... that willing fell in love with a demon. Even going so far as to wish to marry her."

Olrox couldn't believe what he was hearing. He fell in love with a demon? He wanted to marry one? Just what kind of life did he live as a mortal? Who was the human who became the vampire?

"Do not fret, Erebus. I will end you miserable existence. I will show the world that no General is more powerful than me, nor is one more suited to be Lord Dracula's adviser. You should be grateful, boy. I am also reuniting you with your woman."

Olrox was just so confused. What was so important about his human past? How much did Death know about him? And who is this woman he keeps talking about? A human falling in love with a demon? For him to fall in love with a demon. During his time as Dracula's tactician, he has slaughtered countless demons. It's practically impossible for him to believe he actually loved one. Still, Olrox pushed all of these thoughts aside. He needed to deal with Death. "And how exactly do you plan on killing me?"

"With their help, of course."

Olrox didn't have time to question Death's meaning. He had to use his right forearm to block a kick to his head. He didn't have time to analyze the attacker. He needed to back-flip away from a slash that would have cut him completely in half. He then needed to dematerialize into darkness to avoid a powerful holy spell. When he rematerialized, he had to catch an arrow that would have pierced his left temple, and grab a hammer out of the air. He threw the attacker back at his cohorts, and was able to see all five of them. He was surprised by what he saw. "Do these faces look familiar to you, Olrox?"

"The Legendary Five Warriors." All five of them were there. They may be rotting, but their faces were still recognizable. They practically had all of their old weapons and skills. Basir was as strong as he remembered him to be. Cellica's accuracy was still as precise as ever. Kitoth was still quite quick for his size. Fatin's spells were still as hazardous as can be. Candor was the only one that was different. He was using an ordinary, yet well crafted sword. Makes sense. The Deum Fidem does belong to Adelram now. Still, Olrox was disgusted by what he saw. He respected these warriors. They did defeat him after all. Their bodies shouldn't be violated like this. This time, Death has gone too far.

"Correct. One hundred years ago, these warriors ended your life. Now, history can repeat itself."

"You forget one thing, Death." The reaper stared at Olrox with glowing red orbs. "Last time, Candor had the Deum Fidem. That was what killed me."

Death chuckled at the statement. "Very true, Olrox. However, you are also forgetting something. My powers come from the realm of the divine." Death then summoned a strange aura, and sprinkled it onto the corpses. This aura caused the warriors to glow brightly. "I can bless them so that they can slay even you. Oh, this will be satisfying. It is said that Basir was able to match even you in hand-to-hand combat. Now, I get to see the true events that gave me my greatest prize. Go my puppets. Reenact history. Slay Olrox Erebus once more!" With that, the once great warriors charged at Olrox. He summoned his two swords, and prepared for the fight of his life.

* * *

Adelram calmly walked toward Dracula, not a single zombie coming anywhere near him. He was letting out quite a bit of aura. They must have sensed his immense power, and avoided the god-like being at all cost. Now, Adelram was standing before Dracula, the Diabolo Anathema in his hand; while Dracula was still riding the undead horse.

"Well boy, it seems we finally have the pleasure to meet one another, face-to-face."

"So it seems."

Dracula just stared at Adelram, analyzing him. "I should thank you. You have done so much to keep my legacy alive in my absence. You have brought my armor back to me, regained my power, resurrect three of my Generals, brought me back to life, and have even rebuilt my castle. And now, you are even offering me my beloved sword." When he said that, he extended his hand. Adelram could feel his arm being pulled, and looked down to see the Diabolo Anathema shaking violently. Wasting no time, Adelram threw the legendary dark blade back at Dracula, who effortlessly caught it. The vampire was still able to see that Adelram released the blade without hesitation. "Why did you release this blade so easily? There was no sign of resilience whatsoever. What are you playing at, boy? Do you honestly believe you can defeat me unarmed?"

"No. I just thought it would be disgraceful to challenge an unarmed opponent. Now, we both have blades." With that said, Adelram slammed his palm into the ground, and summoned the Deum Fidem. When he swung the holy sword, it created a wave of light that purified every zombie in it's path. Dracula looked surprised at first, but he quickly recovered. "This is quite the surprise. You have my power. You seek my throne. You have three of my Dark Generals under your command. Most of all, you have the blood of the Umbra witches flowing through your veins. How is it that you are able to wield the holy sword of God?"

"I honestly don't know, and I honestly don't care." Dracula raised an eyebrow at the statement. "Is there a law that says I can't wield both the powers of light and darkness? That I can't be a child of God, and a child of darkness? Both light and darkness were created by God. He finds beauty and value in both of these forces. I will never reject the light, nor will I ever condemn the darkness. I find value in both of them. As such, I will protect both of them... as the new Dark Lord."

Dracula just stared at Adelram, before he started to chuckle. Then, he started to laugh. It was a booming laughter that traveled all around the battlefield. All of the warriors heard the laughter. Shanoa and Sharn felt a chill run up their spine when they heard it. Trevor and the Paladins felt a cold sweat run down their necks. Medusa looked annoyed, while Carmilla was shivering with joy at the sound. Brauner and Cornell temporarily stopped their duel when they heard the sound. However, the sound of Dracula's laughter seemed to infuriate Cornell, making him even more blood thirsty. Even Brauner was now having a hard time fighting the enraged wolf. Olrox had just slain Cellica when he heard the laughter. He felt the hairs on his body stand up. It's been years since he heard that laugh. Still as disturbing as when he first heard it... when he slaughtered an entire church filled with his past enemies... including his own son. Death seemed overjoyed to hear that unholy laugh. He thought it was the sign of the beginning of the end.

"Protect them both? You dare to call yourself my successor, and you wish to protect the light of God? Foolishness. I will show what a true Dark Lord should be like." He then climbed off of his horse, and got into a fighting stance. Adelram got into his own stance, preparing to fight his greatest challenge yet. The two clashed in what can only be called a millisecond. When the swords clashed, the force created something that can't even be categorized as a mere explosion. The force completely erased anything around them in a ten mile radius. Even the castle was damaged by the force. When it was gone, only Adelram and Dracula remained. There was one problem: Adelram was holding his sword with both hands, while Dracula was just using one. He was that strong.

The two dueled for quite some time. They kept parrying the others strikes. Each of their clashes created waves of chaos that affected the war. The zombies were being torn to shreds. The warriors kept having to dodge the blades of wind caused by their duel. Even the colossi were affected by the strikes. Finally, the duel turned to... Dracula's favor. With a powerful upward strike, he disarmed Adelram. The sword flew out of his grasp and was planted into the ground blade first. Before Adelram could react, Dracula plunged his clawed hand into his abdomen, and threw him onto the ground away from the sword.

Adelram was in pain. He looked down to see his stomach bleeding out. He then looked up to see Dracula standing above him. He could feel his powers healing him, but he knew it wouldn't be fast enough. "Do you now see the difference between the two of us, boy? You have next to no master over my power, nor can you truly wield the Deum Fidem. You are beaten. You have no one to save you. Repent for your weakness, before the presence of your beloved God." Dracula then raised his sword, and prepared to deal the final blow. "Now die." Adelram closed his eyes, accepting his fate.

"RAM!"

Adelram opened his eyes to see something amazing. Angelica was holding off Dracula's attack... using the Deum Fidem. "Impossible! Two?! Two chosen wielders of that accursed sword?!" Adelram was just as astonished by the sight as Dracula was, but was able to see that Dracula had completely let his guard down. When he was fully healed, he pointed his gun at Dracula's sternum, and fired. The force of the shot threw Dracula back. He landed unceremoniously on his back.

Angelica stared at the downed vampire, before quickly turning her attention back to Adelram. "Ram, are you okay?"

"I am, thanks to you." Adelram was staring at the sword in Angelica's hand. He knew the power of the sword the moment he drew it from it's stone. That sword wouldn't let just anyone wield it, even if it was just stuck in the ground. Yet here it was, being used by the one person Adelram knew would make a perfect wielder. Still, he so surprised to see it being used by two different people. Had such a thing ever happened before?

He was taken out of his thoughts by the sound of Dracula standing up. There was a smoking hole in his sternum, which was slowly healing. He looked furious. "Two. Two wielders. Yet one of them has my power. He doesn't even use my power. He uses a tool created by that mad fool to harm me? Unforgivable. I have had enough. I will end the both of you." He then looked toward the sky. He closed his eyes and extended his arms, smelling the air. "Tell me, Adelram, can you feel it?" Adelram raised an eyebrow in confusion. "All of this pain. All of this suffering. Blood being shed. Tears falling to the ground. Warriors giving their lives to fight for their beliefs. To fight for what they believe is right. All of this chaos. All of this death. All of this... darkness. This is what fuels us. This is what gives us our power. Let me show you... the true power of a Dark Lord."

Dracula's eyes then turned completely red. He was then being surrounded by a wave of darkness. It grew larger and larger. Then, out of the darkness, emerged a great dragon. It released a roar that cracked the very earth itself.

* * *

"Well, shit. Seems Dracula is back at full power." Brauner actually looked away from Cornell.

"Then, his victory is all but assured." Cornell looked down, a look of defeat adorning his face.

"Heh, don't underestimate Adelram, old friend." Cornell gave Brauner a side glance before looking back at the dragon.

* * *

"Holy crap! That thing is huge!" Grant was standing on top of the fallen colossus, marveling at the dragon.

"So that's the power of the Dark Lord. I've never felt something so evil in my life." Trevor as holding down the colossus with his whip. The beasts was to weak to move at all.

"Is Lord Adelram really going to fight that?" David was able to pin down the beast by plunging it's own sword through it's back. It was too tired to even struggle.

"Don't worry. He can handle himself." Hammer had destroyed the last remaining limb of the beast. It couldn't stand at all now.

"True, but we have our own problem to deal with." When Sypha said that, all of the Paladins turned toward the final colossus, who roared at them all. It got even angrier when Avion struck it's head.

* * *

Sharn had just killed the last orc zombie when she sensed the dragon. When she looked toward the source of the power, fear flooded her very being. "Adelram."

"What are you so worried about?" Sharn turned toward Shanoa. "This is Adelram Umbra we are talking about. He can easily handle that over-grown gecko." Sharn couldn't help but giggle at the true statement. "We, on the other hand, have to deal with all of these things." Sharn looked around to see that they were surrounded by more undead hordes.

"Ready to put them back to sleep?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

* * *

"Oh! Lord Dracula! You look magnificent!" Carmilla was gushing at the sight of her Lord, so much so that she was nearly impaled by Medusa's arrow. Still, she was able to dodge it.

"Getting a bit over-confident, are we?"

"Hmph. I'll kill you quickly. I'd much rather bear witness to Lord Dracula's victory."

* * *

Olrox was slightly winded. He had just killed Basir. He was the last one. He was about to turn his sights toward Death, until he sensed Dracula's power. He looked toward the source to see the vampire take his infamous dragon form. "Hm, victory is now ours. No one can defeat Lord Dracula when he is in that state, especially not your pathetic excuse for a lord."

Olrox glared at Death, and prepared for his final battle with the god. "Don't underestimate him."

* * *

Adelram and Angelica were astonished by what they saw. Dragons were as legendary as Dracula himself. They are supposed to be powerful enough to decimate an entire country. When Dracula flapped his wings just once, that legend was confirmed. It took all of Adelram's strength to make sure he and Angelica wouldn't be blown away. "What power! That was just his wings! Ram, what do we do!?"

Adelram was thinking about what Dracula had said to him. He could sense it all. Could he really use it as a power source? Looking at Dracula, he thought that was his only option. "Angelica, stay back." Angelica looked at him, confusion laced into her eyes. Adelram walked toward the dragon, and started to concentrate. He could feel it. The darkness was surrounding him, until it completely engulfed him. The darkness started to grow larger. Then, a claw burst forth from the darkness, and sent Dracula flying back into the forest; causing a great explosion of earth when he landed. Adelram... was now a dragon. The roar he released was just as devastating as Dracula's.

* * *

"HOT DAMN! WAIT TO GO, ADELRAM!" Brauner was ecstatic. His Lord could now turn into a damned dragon. Cornell was speechless. He just saw Dracula being pushed back by another dragon.

* * *

"Whoa! Is that the kid!?"

"I believe it is, Grant." Trevor didn't look happy in the least.

"So he can fight evenly against Dracula now!" David was happy to know that.

* * *

"See? Told you your man can take him." Shanoa had just shot an arrow between the eyes of an undead ogre.

"What, do expect me to give you meat as a reward for being right?" Sharn was crushing the skull of an undead imp when she asked that.

"How about you pay for drinks after all of this is over?"

"Deal."

* * *

"IMPOSSIBLE! HE IS JUST A MERE HUMAN!" Carmilla was foolish enough to let her guard down enough for Medusa to land a devastating kick to her face. Carmilla didn't turn to stone, but the attack did break her nose.

"I told you he was strong. He's going to make one hell of a Dark Lord, as well as one hell of a father."

* * *

Both Olrox and Death were heavily wounded, but Death was in far worse shape. It then felt like someone was stabbing him with a cursed blade when he saw Adelram become a dragon and strike his lord. "Impossible! Only a true Dark Lord can morph into such a magnificent creature! How could a maggot like Adelram have that kind of power?!"

"Because he's the Dark Lord." Death glared at Olrox. He wanted to kill that aggravating vampire as soon as possible, so that he could help his Lord slay the heretic.

* * *

The duel between the two dragons was brutal one. The earth was being ripped apart. The sky seemed to be split in half. When they took flight, much of the horde was blown away. When the two breathed fire at one another, it burned everything around them to ashes. The two dragons started their fight with such ferocity. Since they were both black dragons, Angelica couldn't tell who was who. Then, she saw one of the dragons do something special. When it released a short burst of flame onto the other dragon's face, it threw one of it's clawed hands upward. An uppercut with claws. It then used it's other clawed hand to strike at the abdomen of the beast, causing it to float in the air. With that momentum, the dragon then tried a mid-air somersault. With the momentum of the somersault, it used it's tail as a sort of whip to smash it's rival into the ground before jumping away to keep it's distance. She recognized that fighting style. That dragon was undoubtedly Adelram.

With the Deum Fidem, in hand, she ran toward the dragon. She climbed the mighty beast until she was on top of it's head. It wasn't bothered in the least. She then saw a burst of dust emerge, but was shielded from it by the dragon's mighty wing. This really was Adelram.

Dracula looked beyond furious. He flew up into the sky, only to be followed Adelram and Angelica. That must have been his plan. When they were high enough, Dracula dove into Adelram. The two were roaring at one another as they continuously slashed at one another. Angelica was holding onto Adelram as tightly as she could. Then she saw an opening. Adelram had twisted Dracula toward the ground. With the monster's back toward the ground, and his chest exposed to the two, Angelica jumped off of Adelram. With a battle cry, Angelica plunged the Deum Fidem in between Dracula's eyes, earning an ear-splitting scream from the dragon. He landed on his back in an explosion of earth. Next, Adelram plunged his claw into the dragon's chest, right were his heart would be. This caused the dragon to scream again, as well as release a wave of dark energy that engulfed Adelram and Angelica.

* * *

"MASTER!" Before Death could fly toward Dracula, he felt a sharp pain. He looked down to see Olrox's sword plunged through him.

"That was foolish, Death. You let your guard down. That... cost you your victory."

Olrox removed his sword and watched as Death staggered away, slowly disappearing. "I-Impossible. I-I am the god-the god that governs death. I decide who lives and who dies." He then glared at Olrox. "How?! How could I have been beaten by you?! You... a mere child! You... who was once a weak human! Who once felt lust toward a demon! Who carries the blood of a Demon Lord!"

That statement shocked Olrox. "What!? Death, what do you mean?! Why did you say that?! What Demon Lord?!"

Death wasn't listening to Olrox at all. He was filled to the brim with fury. "Curse you! Damn you!" He tried to reach out to Olrox, but his hand started to turn to dust; along with the rest of his body. "Damn you, Takaaaahhhh!" He never finished what he was saying. He disappeared into dust as he let out one final scream. With his demise, the undead followed suite. They turned to dust like he did. All of the undead horde, from the tiny imps to the giant ogres, turned to dust. It was proof that Death has been bested. The war was over. Yet, that was the last thing on Olrox's mind.

A weak human. Loved a demon. Married a demon. The carrier of a Demon Lord's blood. There were seven Demon Lords in all, one for each sin. Olrox even fought one of them. Beelzebub. It was one of his most difficult battles, yet he still emerged victorious. He did spare the young Lord, but still wonders to this day what ever happened to him. The look in the Lord's eyes... haunts him at times. They looked so... betrayed. Olrox couldn't help but look at his hand, examining the snow white skin. He was a vampire. Pale skin is common among them. Brauner was one of the rare exceptions. However, Olrox knew that he had this skin since birth, before he was a vampire. . . . When he was human. Olrox knew that his past wasn't important. He felt no shame in abandoning his humanity. Still, at moments like these, and with knowledge like what Death had just given him, he can't help but be curious about his past. That would have to be explored at a later time. Right now, he needs to see if Adelram is alright. With that in mind, he ran towards the site were the two dragons landed.

* * *

Carmilla was horrified. She could easily distinguish her lord from that filthy heretic, so seeing him plummet to the ground was a living nightmare for her. To make matters worse, she watched as the horde turned to dust in the wind. That could only mean one thing: Olrox had defeated Death.

"Oh, my. It seems we win. Well, since Adelram is our leader, I suppose it only makes sense."

Carmilla's horror turned to fury. She wanted to gut that annoying snake. When she turned around, she was greeted by a punch to the solar plexus. After that, she felt a flurry of punches, kicks, and finally whips from a tail. After the onslaught, she was nothing more than a bloody, beaten mess on the ground. She looked up to see Medusa standing over her. The snake slowly picked her up, and looked into her visible eye. "In the name of our mutual hatred for one another, I shall grant you a gift. I shall send you to Hell, so that you can greet Dracula when he joins you in your new home." With that, Medusa turned into her full gorgon form, releasing all of her power. At full strength, the gaze would have been useless against Carmilla. However, she was weak, beaten, and tired. She was already close to death, hanging on to a mere thread of life. Medusa watched as Carmilla's body slowly turned to stone. When it was a complete statue of the vampiress, Medusa lifted the stone body and smashed into the ground. There was nothing but pebbles around her. Satisfied by her work, she casually walked toward the castle, knowing that would be the best way to find Adelram.

* * *

Cornell was crying, but not of sadness. He just couldn't believe it. The man he hated more than anyone in the world was defeated. Not only that, but he watched his brother turn to dust. He wouldn't be a puppet anymore. He's free. "Brauner..."

"Hm?"

"Is it over? Is it really over?"

"Yeah. It is. We win. Dracula is done for."

The tears kept on coming. Cornell fell to his knees, and let out a cry of victory.

* * *

Sharn and Shanoa watched in fascination as the horde turned to dust. Shanoa then poked Sharn at her side. She gave a cute little squeak before turning to Shanoa. "You still owe me a drink."

"Yeah, yeah. . . . If you ever tell Adelram about that squeak, I'll hunt you down and skin you alive."

"Oh, please. I'm betting he'll find out about your sensitivity sooner rather than later."

"HEY!"

* * *

The final colossus was now a statue thanks to the combined magic of Sypha and Trevor. Avion was even using it as a perch. All of the colossi, except for Avion, were in the same state. The Paladins were prepared to fight the horde, until they saw the undead turn to dust.

"Huh. Guess he won." Grant was putting away his daggers, relaxing.

"So Adelram is still alive? Then I must hurry." With that, Trevor flew toward the crash site of the dragons, mentally preparing for a fight against the new Dark Lord. Sighing, all of the Paladins followed suite.

* * *

Angelica was free-falling. The dark wave must have affected Adelram as well. She didn't see any signs of dragons. As she was falling, she felt something grab her. The next thing she knew, she was floating gently toward the ground... while Adelram was holding her like a bride or a princess. When he landed, he gently placed the blushing warrior on her feet. Both warriors walked toward the center of the crater... finding a dying Dracula, the Diabolo Anathema still in his grasp. "Am I... bested?"

Adelram stared at his fallen enemy. He could sense the vampire slowly dying, the power of his Crimson Stone also fading away. "Yes, Count Dracula. You are bested. This war... is my victory."

The Dark Lord chuckled a bit. "Tell me... was it her light... or your darkness that defeated me?"

"Both. Light and darkness worked as one to defeat you. One was able to exist along-side the other."

Dracula was quite for a bit, like he was contemplating on something. "Adelram... lend me your ear. These... shall be my final words. I shall never return again after this." Adelram bent down on bended knee, so he could better listen to the last words of his predecessor. "Good and evil... These are nothing more than words. Power is what matters in the end. The light can be cruel, but the darkness can be kind." He lifted his hand toward Adelram, who grasped the shaking palm. "The one who stands in the end is... righteous. Only the victor can decide what is good and what is evil." He then lifted his other hand, still holding onto the Diabolo Anathema. "Take it. It belongs to you now." Adelram graciously accepted the blade, and placed both of Dracula's hands onto his chest. The man chuckled before he spoke once again. "It seems... I have quite the worthy... and interesting successor." With that, the vampire closed his eyes for the last time. His body then started to disappear in a blaze of darkness. Dracula... was now completely dead.

Adelram rose from his position, staring at the burn marks that once held Dracula's body, while gripping onto the Diabolo Anathema. He didn't hear Angelica walk up to him, only noticing her when she took hold of his hand. He looked into her beautiful, blue eyes. "So, what now?" With her hand intertwined with his, the two walked toward the castle. What now, indeed.

 **A/N: Forget the last chapter. This was definitely the longest one I've written. Still, I wrote a damn war! Ever heard of Naruto Shippuden? The Fourth** **Great Ninja War lasted for almost three days. This war almost lasted one, but hot damn would it have been awesome! It was eleven warriors, a stone eagle, and small army of monsters vs. three ridiculously powerful monsters, five stone giants, and an endless army of undead creatures. Sounds like a hell of a show to me. Well, the next chapter will be the finale. Let's make it fun. You guys get to make your own. You've all followed the story from the beginning, so I'm betting you all have a way you want it to end. Of course, I'm going to make my version of the ending, but I'd like to see how you guys want it to end. I did say I like alternate endings. Who do you want Adelram to choose? What do you want him to do as the Dark Lord? How do you want this story to end at all? Hell, if you want an ending where Dracula wins, then more power to ya! I'm giving you guys the chance to show me what you want. I'll put your endings along side mine in the final chapter, giving you the credit, of course. Just send me a PM of the ending, and I'll put it in the final chapter. Have fun, and see you in the final chapter.**


	21. The End

I stared at the spot where Dracula died, the Diabolo Anathema in one hand with Angelica's hand intertwining with the other. I looked around to see Victor's monsters return to his lab, the Fallen Angels returning back to their home. I placed the Diabolo Anathema back in it's storage dimension, as well as taking back the Deum Fidem to do the same. When that was finished, I lifted Angelica bridal-style, much to her embarrassment, and flew back to the throne room. Once in the room, I placed Angelica back on her feet and sat on the throne. I summoned the grimoire and started to read, searching for a certain spell. During that time, I sensed everyone entering the castle, including an aura I didn't expect to be here. He appeared with the rest of the Paladins.

"Dark Lord Adelram Umbra!" I didn't look up. I wanted to find that spell as soon as I could. "The previous Dark Lord is now dead, but you still live! For the sake of peace in the world, I shall slay you!" I just ignored him, but I could sense that it was aggravating him. The other Paladins tried to convince him to stand down. Olrox was pinching the bridge of his nose again. Brauner was trying his hardest not to laugh out loud. Cornell was just staring at me, studying me. Medusa and Sharn just ignored all of the commotion, and nonchalantly walked toward my throne. Still, none of that was important to me.

"Found it." All commotion ceased when I said that. I started to whisper a spell, sounding it out carefully. When I finished, a orb of light and darkness formed in the palm of my hand. Trevor and Cornell prepared for a nonexistent fight. I just got up from my throne and walked toward the balcony. When I was outside, I threw the orb toward the sky. When it struck the sky, we saw what looked like glass shattering.

Olrox spoke first. "Lord Adelram, was that...?"

"The True Sky Spell. The spell that counters Eternal Night. Though, I'm wondering if it actually worked." The sky was still night, but I had my answer in the next second.

Over the horizon, past a mountain range, we saw the sun rise. The beautiful rays illuminated the Southern Plains. "It looks so beautiful." Angelica was right. The sun gave the Southern Plains such a majestic look. To see the trees and lake bathed in sunlight was a breathtaking sight.

Something just as amazing happened when the sun hit Cornell. He started to shine brightly. So much so, that he was completely engulfed in light. Out of the light emerged a handsome young man. He had pale blue eyes, skin as white as Olrox's, and short white hair. Brauner whistled at the sight. "So that's what you look like. I'm so used to seeing the wolfman that I forgot that they turn human in the sunlight." Cornell was amazed. He kept examining himself, as if he was making sure it was real. He then looked at me, tears forming in his eyes. He would then kneel before me. "My Lord, thank you." I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Though our powers are great, they can be a great burden as well. To be human again... is quite refreshing. To no longer have blood-lust, or sensitive senses, or a beastial fury; it feels good to just rest. And for that, I thank you." I smiled at Cornell. I then vowed to him that his tribe would safe under my rule. As a sign, I gave him Avion as a form of safe travel back to his village. I also told him he could bring his people to my castle if he so wanted. Building a small village around here would be simple. He thanked me for both of the gifts.

Angelica seemed pleased by what I had done. "So Ram, what are you going to do now?" I told her that I had much to do. I needed to master all of my powers and spells, and also start reading all of the books in my library. I also told her that there were many areas in the Southern Plains left unexplored, and that I'd like to learn as much about my new home as I could. "Well, it seems we have quite a bit of work to do, huh?"

"We?"

"Of course. I'm going to stay." Her statement shocked everyone in the room. "Well, someone has to keep an eye on you, and I don't want to place the full burden on Sir Olrox. Even he needs a break every once in a while."

"I already approve of her staying here." He said that with such a straight face.

"And on that note, I'm actually glad Master Trevor is here." Everyone looked confused once again. She then turned toward the man, and started to concentrate. Her golden armor started to glow. Then, in a flash, it was back on Master Trevor. "I'm not going to be a Paladin anymore. How can I, when I'm going to spend the rest of my life with this trouble maker?"

Master Trevor looked astonished. "Not only do you plan on living in this forsaken land, but you plan on doing so unarmed?! You have no way of defending yourself against the darkness without this armor!"

"Actually, she does." All eyes then turned to me. They watched as I summoned the Deum Fidem, and gave it to her.

"Y-you're giving me your sword?"

"Actually, it's yours. You did wield it." Everyone was shocked to hear that. They had just learned that there were two chosen wielders of the legendary holy sword. "Besides, I have the Diabolo Anathema. It's a bit unfair for me to have two legends." She couldn't help but giggle at that. When she took the sword, it started to glow. She was then engulfed in light, and was now wearing armor. It was as white as the pure morning clouds in the sky, and radiated holy energy. It was official. The sword was now completely hers.

It took a while to convince Master Trevor to leave. A long while. The sun was nearly at it's highest before he was finally convinced to leave. All of the Paladins gave their goodbyes before heading back to the Three Plains.

"Now for one other dilemma." We all looked toward Olrox, wondering what he meant. "There are two, actually. There are two mortals among us." I then looked at Sharn and Angelica.

Angelica looked at me with confusion in her eyes. "Ram, you're immortal?"

"Yes. It was official the moment I awakened my Umbra blood. Now that I have the Dark Lord's power, I'm pretty much both ageless and deathless. This is it."

"B-but..." Angelica looked heart broken. "T-then how can I be with you?"

"I HAVE THE SOLUTION!" In a matter of seconds, Victor was in front of us, holding a vial filled with a strange looking liquid. "Adelram, if you would, fill your mouth with this liquid; but don't swallow." Confused, I complied with the request. "Now turn toward Angelica." I did so. "Brauner... please do the honors." Now I was really confused. Then, I felt a kick on the back of my head. The next thing I knew, I was kissing Angelica. She looked as shocked as I did. I could feel the liquid pouring down her throat. When my mouth was completely emptied of the fluid, I parted ways from a very red Angelica.

"SONOFA-! Adelram!" I looked at an angry Sharn. She grabbed the vial from Victor, and pointed it toward me. "Drink." I did so. When I felt that my mouth was full of the liquid, she grabbed me and stole a kiss. I could feel her sucking the drink out of my mouth. Her lips were so soft. It felt as good as kissing Angelica. When she parted from me, she licked her lips. "Hm, I don't know what was tastier: the drink or your lips." Now I was redder than Angelica.

"Well, if that's how we are going to play." Before I could react, Medusa grabbed my head and kissed me. Her lips were soft too, but they also felt cool to the touch. It felt soothing in a way. When she parted from me, she looked satisfied. "Mm, delicious."

I might as well be drunk. I couldn't think straight. Hell, I could barely stand straight. I kissed three of the most beautiful women I've ever met at once. Remembering that it was Victor's fault, I turned to him. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT?!"

"What? All I did was have you give Lady Angelica and Lady Sharn ambrosia."

"Ambro-? Your immortality elixir?" Angelica and Sharn looked surprised.

"Bingo! Now they are as immortal as the rest of us! Problem solved! Bye!" He then ran back to his lab. However, we all heard and felt an explosion that shook the castle. "THAT HURT!"

We were all confused by the event. Olrox cleared his throat to bring the attention back to him. "Well, as Victor stated, the problem is solved. On that note, I'm be going to my room. Like Adelram said, there is much work to be done. Because of Trevor, breakfast is long since past. However, according to the sun, lunch should be prepared in about thirty minutes. I shall meet you all in the dining room." He disappeared in a mist of darkness after that.

"Meh, I'm gonna go fight my robot. I'll see you guys at lunch." Brauner disappeared as well in the same manner.

That just left me and the women. I was about to sit on my throne and continue reading the grimoire, but Sharn grabbed my arm. "You know, we have thirty minutes." I looked at her, confused. "How about we make that kid?" She gave a shining smile when she said that. It made me go red with embarrassment.

Angelica ripped me out of her grasp, and hugged my head. Fortunately, she turned her armor back into clothes. Unfortunately... I was now buried in her cleavage. "M-m-m-m-make a kid? Do you honestly think I'd let you do that with Ram?"

Sharn looked angry. "Hey! I've been with him since the beginning of this journey of his! After all the crap we've been through together, I think I'm entitled to a child!"

"I've known Ram since we were kids! If any one should be the mother of his child, it should be me!" I surprised she wasn't burning from embarrassment. That was an extremely bold thing for her to say. "Besides, you are not fit to be a mother of his child!"

"Oh, you think you'd make a better mom than me, do you?"

"Of course! Orcs are notorious for being violent. A child needs tender love and care, not beatings and neglect!"

"Hey! We don't neglect our kids!"

"But you beat them?!"

"Builds character! Toughens them up!"

"That's not how a child should be raised!"

The two continued to argue about how a child should be properly brought up. During the debate, Angelica had released her hold on me. I was about to sit on my throne, until Medusa grabbed me. "Now then, My Lord, let us create an heir while the orc and human bicker." She gave me a seductive and beautiful look. I felt paralyzed. Those eyes made it impossible to say no to.

"LIKE WE'D LET THAT HAPPEN!" Sharn and Angelica kicked Medusa away from me.

"You brutes! How dare you kick me?!"

"How dare you try to steal Ram?!" She then grabbed my left arm.

"Like I'm gonna let Adelram fuck a damn snake!" Sharn grabbed my right arm.

"I will be the one to pleasure Lord Adelram." Medusa grabbed my waist.

The three women started a game of tug-o-war using my body. It continued like that for a while until Olrox showed up. He gave the three women a good punch on the head, and told all of us that lunch was almost ready. I was grateful to Olrox, but I knew that wouldn't be that last time that happened. Well, I suppose that's just going to have to be my life. That's the beginning of the life of the new ruler of the Southern Plains: Dark Lord Adelram Umbra.

 **A/N: Meh, endings were never really my forte, but at least I left an opening for various potential continuations. Now that Adelram's journey is over, I can make all kinds of stories set in the time during his reign. Let's see how they play out. And if any of you guys can think of stories set in this time, go for it. Just be sure to tell me about it so I can read it myself. Until the next story.**

* * *

 **A/N: Rejoice, my fellow readers! For I have been given another ending! And I have to say, it's pretty awesome. It was written by dead. but. true., so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Here's his take on the ending of DLR.**

Finally Count Dracula, the previous Dark Lord, had been defeated once and for all, and with him his loyal servants – the vampire Carmilla and the Grim Reaper himself – but it wasn't over yet. "I am still amazed that the person who controls who lives or dies died...", said Brauner contemplating. I nodded.

"I believe it's God who is responsible for the death of, well, Death himself.", I said. Sharn snickered.

"What is so funny?", asked Brauner.

"You all talk about Gods and good and evil...I believe in this.", said Sharn and patted the hilt of her daggers. "I slash, and something dies. The blade does not distinguish between gods, humans or demons. This is what I believe."

"Well, I don't really mind. You shouldn't force your religious beliefs on someone.", I sighed. Then I looked at the horizon. It was still endless night, and the dim light of stars obstructed the sight of most people.

"What now?", I heard someone beside me ask. I turned around to see Angelica.

"Hm...I am the new Dark Lord and apparently I now rule over the Southern Plains. I think first I'll fix Castle Umbra. Then I will talk to various people and visit some guys, and I think then I will relax.", I said.

"That's...not very helpful.", said Brauner.

"You have a lot of duties to attend, my lord.", said Olrox, and I nodded.

"I guess I have to make myself clear. I will visit the three tribes, as well as the Umbra clan, to inform them about my reign and the recent events – although I'm sure the Umbra witches already know everything. After this, I will retreat to the castle and start with my probably boring tasks; as the ruler of the Southern Plains I have to deal with a lot of things.", I explained.

"What about me?", asked Angelica. She was not only speaking for the Paladins, but also about herself as an individual. I sighed. I knew what I had to do, and I didn't like it.

"You can't stay. You represent the joint forces of the Three Plains, and as long as I don't establish a diplomatic relation with them, you shouldn't be here. Especially because the Paladins are a governmental unit. You risk a war if you stay here.", I said. It hurt me to say this to her, but it was my duty. All my decisions now decided the fate of thousands.

"I...I understand.", whispered Angelica and looked away. "We'll go now.", she said and turned around.

"Angelica...", I began, and she stopped in her tracks. "No matter what, you'll always be welcome here."

She laughed a little. "Thank you, but I guess your always doesn't match mine...when I lose this armor to my successor, I'll be an old woman. That is, if I survive until then." She raised her hand to her face and seemed to be wiping away a few tears. "Stay healthy.", she said and left.

‑

I looked around; the Six Paladins had left, but Trevor was still standing in my throne room. I looked at him. "What are you doing here?", I asked.

"I can't let a Dark Lord exist! Fight me!", he yelled.

"You're outta your mind. Leave before I have to kill you.", I said with a stern voice. This once so glorious warrior was broken.

Trevor looked at me with hate in his eyes. "One day...!", he yelled, but ultimately left.

"I fear you've made yourself quite a powerful enemy.", said Olrox.

"Oh please. He'll try some conspiracy stuff, maybe a war against our nation...nothing unusual.", I shrugged. "Now, let's attend my duties. Brauner will accompany me. Olrox, I trust you to handle this Castle..." A loud explosion occurred "...and its inhabitants well."

"Very well.", said Olrox, and we left.

‑

In a few minutes we had traveled to the nearest tribe, the Umbra witches. "If it isn't our only warlock and husband-to-be.", said a sultry voice as soon as we entered the village.

"Cereza!", I exclaimed. She and the other witches were welcoming us, dressed rather...interesting. I blushed and cleared my voice. "As you most likely already know, I'm the new Dark Lord and the village is on my property, so I am your king now.", I said.

"We don't accept a king, and you should know that.", said Cereza with a pout.

"Then landlord. Whatever. Anyway, I now have my own castle and stuff, you should come over from time to time.", I said and left.

"You really left in a hurry.", said Brauner.

"I'm...not good at dealing with them.", I admitted. "Now, the goblins."

‑

After a few minutes we arrived at the goblin village; it wasn't destroyed, though it had taken visible damage, most likely the work of Dracula's troops. "Anybody here?", I yelled. I felt a certain presence.

"Rammy?", whispered a voice, and a head popped up. "Rammy!"

In the blink of an eye, an overly happy Frokz was hugging me, and I was sure that he even shed a few tears. "You're-you're alive!", he said.

"That's right, I'm the new Dark Lord. But don't worry, I'm not going to go to war or oppress you.", I explained.

"I knew you would do it! Let's have a drink!", he said.

"Sorry, I still have to visit the other tribes.", I told him. "But come to my castle, and we will have a feast."

‑

Visiting the imps was a short trip, and just like the goblins, the imps didn't oppose my reign. From the imp village I had to go to the orcs...I hope the War Chief is alright.

As soon as we arrived, we saw that the village hadn't suffered any real damage. It was still noisy, and the gate was opened. Brauner and I entered, heading straight to the biggest tent. "War Chief!", I yelled and entered. Sharn's father was sitting on his throne and looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"What is it, human?", he asked in a slightly mocking voice.

"What is it, Dark Lord.", I corrected him. "Nothing much, except for the fact that the old Dark Lord had returned, was defeated by me, your daughter fought a great battle and survived, and I'm now pretty much the ruler of the Southern Plains. Oh, and I resurrected some of the Generals.", I said in an equally mocking voice.

"Hmm...", he let out a deep grumble. "You know, to become the king of the orcs you have to defeat the War Chief...but that should be child's play for you, right?"

"Knowing Sharn, I bet it will still be a challenge. So be it, I challenge you to a duel!"

‑

Of course I had won the duel, and every sentient being in the Southern Plains accepted me as ruler. Well, the great ancients didn't, but they are not that important anyway. Under the first years of my reign I had to pass many laws. I needed to provide education, peace and wealth; with the help of Victor it wasn't a problem, though. He created more conceptions, little mechanical wonders that could monitor everything. Together with some servants they kept peace.

We had to fight off many monsters, especially werewolves. Although Cornell was freed from Dracula, he didn't accept my reign, and so he and his pack attacked my Castle and the surrounding town frequently.

‑

Five years after I had seized power, someone entered my throne room nonchalantly. Golden hair, fair skin... "Angelica!", I said surprised.

"Adelram.", she greeted. "I am here to warn you. Trevor Belmont finally convinced the Three Plains to go to war with you."

I just raised an eyebrow. "War? With me? I have an army of abominations and mercenaries; Olrox, Sharn, Brauner and Medusa, my invincible and immortal Generals; and finally Viktor, a genius in creating weapons of mass destruction. Screw it, I could defeat your army alone.", I said a little bored.

"We will stop you.", said Angelica. "It's our duty as Paladins."

"It is your duty to go to war and die because some guy was beaten by me? That's not politics or revenge, this is madness!"

"No! This is reality!", exclaimed Angelica. I sighed.

"I don't want to fight you.", I said.

"Me neither.", she mumbled. "I wish I could also be immortal and stay at your side forever."

"You can. Just stop being a Paladin.", I stated.

"But who will challenge me?", asked Angelica.

"Don't worry. After spending days in the library I found out that Paladins can retire. They have to choose a successor, and then they'll retire. You lose the duel on purpose.", I explained. Angelica looked at me with wide eyes.

‑

Ten years. The war waged ten years, but with the Generals and Angelica on my side it was a one-sided massacre. Although it wasn't my intention, I used the war to further expand my kingdom – hence the ten years. I wasn't exactly excited for the next millenniums, but I think I'll pass down the reign to one of my children. There are a lot of other interesting things. I could work on the forbidden magic I found out about, or I could travel. Olrox seemed to be interested in his past, maybe we'll uncover it together...?


End file.
